Albatross Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.01° S 24.93° E

Albatross Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 28 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Albatross sea temperature is
15.0°C
3.8° 

Albatross surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Albatross surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,103 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Albatross this week:

The surf forecast for Albatross over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Albatross in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 05) at 2AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Fri 28th Aug)4.5ft (1.3m) 11s
Best Surf 5AM (Wed 2nd Sep)11ft (3.5m) 13s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep)11ft (3.5m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Albatross over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Albatross. This is a sheltered beach and reef set-up that loves a good SSW swell, and we've got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks.

Kicking things off straight away this Saturday, the 29th of August. It’s not gonna blow your socks off, but there’s some clean fun to be had. We’ve got a moderate offshore breeze from the WSW all day, which is a major positive. The swell is a modest 3.3ft from the S, with moderate combined energy (482), and the water temp is feeling about average for the time of year.

Sunday the 30th is where things start to pick up. The morning is a bit messy with a cross-offshore wind, but check out Sunday afternoon. The wind swings pure offshore from the SW and the swell bumps up to a clean 6.9ft from the same direction, with 10-second period. The energy is really starting to show at 1244. Expect very good conditions – this is the standout session of this first weekend.

Monday the 31st brings a nice 6.2ft SW groundswell with a long 12-second period. The light breeze keeps it clean in the morning. This long period swell will really favour the reef part of Albatross, giving you proper shape and longer lulls between sets, making the paddle out a breeze. Afternoon gets a bit crossed up, so stick to the early session.

Tuesday the 1st of September is another top pick for the week. Morning has light offshore wind and clean 6.9ft SW swell. But Tuesday afternoon is the real gem: 7.9ft of SW swell, a solid 13-second period, and a moderate offshore breeze. The energy is pumping at 1805. This is textbook, grade-A surfing.

Now, things get a bit dicey for a stretch. Wednesday the 2nd kicks off with a big 11.5ft swell from the SW, which is now in the "experts only" zone. The morning wind is light but cross-shore, creating some ripples. By the afternoon, a cross-onshore breeze ruins it, making it choppy. This big energy (4041) is more interesting for kite surfing than a paddle board.

From Wednesday night all the way through to the 8th of September, it’s pretty grim. We get hammered by strong, choppy cross-onshore winds and rain that just trash the surface. There's a big gap of poor conditions here. The swell sticks around over 6.6ft for a few days but the quality is non-existent.

We finally get a break in the weather on Thursday the 10th of September, but the swell drops right off to a tiny 2.6ft. The wind is offshore, making it clean, but there's just no grunt behind it.

A late-blooming window opens on Friday the 11th of September. This is another one to circle on the calendar. A fresh offshore wind from the SW meets a new, long-period groundswell of 5.2ft to 5.9ft, with a period stretching out to 15-16 seconds. The energy is solid at 1808. It’s a bit fresh on the wind, but with that long period and offshore flow, the reef at Albatross is going to serve up some long, lined-up walls. This looks promising but is over a week away, so keep an eye on it.

The outlook finishes with a big, messy pulse over the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September. Solid 9.8ft SW swell but with cross-shore winds, making for lumpy, difficult conditions best left to the experts.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 27°C on Sat morning, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the SW by Sat afternoon).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, fresh winds from the SE by Thu morning).

Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
1
0
2
3
2
2
1
1
3
3
3
3
0
4
0
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
S
12
1
S
11
0.9
SW
13
0.9
WSW
12
2.2
SW
10
2.1
SW
10
2.1
SW
12
1.9
SW
12
1.9
SW
12
1.7
SW
11
2.1
SW
11
2.4
SW
13
3.5
SW
13
3.5
SW
13
3
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
1.9
SW
12
3
S
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
384
260
230
233
851
768
1182
929
913
754
1127
1805
3936
4041
3204
2356
1834
1100
2323
Wind (km/h)
10
NNE
25
WSW
25
SW
20
W
20
WSW
20
SW
5
NW
10
SSE
10
SE
5
NW
10
SW
20
SW
20
W
5
SE
20
ESE
5
N
35
SE
15
SE
25
SE
Wind State
cross-on
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
off
off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
glassy
cross
cross
cross
High Tide
4:10AM1.64m
4:29PM1.77m
4:39AM1.64m
4:57PM1.78m
5:08AM1.61m
5:26PM1.74m
5:40AM1.54m
5:58PM1.65m
6:14AM1.43m
6:35PM1.52m
6:53AM1.29m
7:20PM1.36m
Low Tide
10:09PM0.09m
10:15AM0.00m
10:38PM0.05m
10:42AM-0.00m
11:07PM0.06m
11:11AM0.04m
11:38PM0.10m
11:41AM0.11m
00:12AM0.19m
12:15PM0.23m
00:51AM0.32m
12:56PM0.38m
1:44AM0.48m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
mod rain
light rain
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:37
6:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:59
5:59
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:01
6:02
 mm
4
1
1
7
4
2
Temp °C
26
27
18
16
15
15
15
15
16
14
15
17
15
17
17
16
16
15
17
Feels °C
22
22
13
14
10
10
13
13
14
14
13
15
12
16
13
13
11
9
14
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Albatross:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Albatross surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Albatross Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Albatross provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Albatross can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Albatross surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Albatross) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Albatross may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Albatross is 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Kruisfontein. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape (South), look for hotels and other accommodation in Kruisfontein. Kruisfontein has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest