- Forecast
- Maps
- Live
- Weather State
- Spot Information
Surf Forecasts:
Cape Vidal surfForecast / KZN North / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Monday 18 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Cape Vidal surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Cape Vidal sea temperature is
25.4° C
(Which is 1.2°C warmer than normal for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cape Vidal this week:
The surf forecast for Cape Vidal over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cape Vidal in the next 16 days are 1.1m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 5s period and expected on Saturday (May 23) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 19th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 21st May) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 21st May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cape Vidal over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 23°C on Mon night, min 19°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 18°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NNE on Fri afternoon, calm by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Mon 25 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
S 11 | S 12 | E 9 | E 8 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 10 | S 9 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 12 | ENE 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | |
163 | 129 | 120 | 141 | 125 | 150 | 299 | 258 | 374 | 333 | 262 | 195 | 149 | 178 | 159 | 156 | 121 | 101 | 94 | 83 | 80 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross-on | |
High Tide | 5:03AM2.01m | 5:26PM1.93m | 5:45AM1.87m | 6:13PM1.82m | 6:31AM1.71m | 7:07PM1.69m | 7:25AM1.55m | 8:15PM1.56m | 8:37AM1.41m | 9:43PM1.49m | 10:12AM1.35m | 11:13PM1.51m | 11:42AM1.38m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:50PM0.08m | 11:13AM0.12m | 11:34PM0.20m | 11:57AM0.23m | 00:22AM0.36m | 12:44PM0.36m | 1:17AM0.54m | 1:41PM0.50m | 2:27AM0.69m | 2:54PM0.62m | 4:00AM0.76m | 4:23PM0.67m | 5:34AM0.73m | 5:46PM0.63m | |||||||
 |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — |
 | 5:06 | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:02 | — | — | 5:02 |
3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 23 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 21 |
21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 7 | E 9 | E 8 | E 7 | E 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 8 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 |
 kJ | 109 | 80 | 99 | 130 | 67 | 132 | 299 | 258 | 196 | 333 | 262 | 195 | 149 | 178 | 159 | 156 | 121 | 90 | 94 | 83 | 80 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSW 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 12 | S 8 | SSE 7 | S 12 | S 11 | NNE 5 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | E 9 | E 8 |
| kJ | 163 | 129 | 84 | 141 | 125 | 88 | 157 | 127 | 374 | 95 | 28 | 138 | 116 | 34 | 72 | 50 | 113 | 101 | 69 | 56 | 51 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | E 13 | S 16 | SSW 14 | S 13 | SSE 7 | E 6 | S 11 | NE 5 | SSE 13 | S 5 | S 5 | S 7 | SSW 12 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 90 | 77 | 120 | 102 | 62 | 150 | 81 | 119 | 186 | 74 | 84 | 18 | 12 | 81 | 12 | 54 | 18 | 8 | 24 | 15 | 16 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | NE 2 | N 4 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | N 3 | NE 4 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 8 | 28 | — | — | — | 2 | 12 | 68 | 94 | 56 | 1 | 37 | — | — | — | 5 | 13 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 34 | 88 | 30 | 88 | 88 | 34 | 0 | 244 | 118 | 244 | 244 | 88 | 0 | 538 | 34 | 88 | 88 | 0 | 0 | 88 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Cape Vidal 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 Cape Vidal Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cape Vidal provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cape Vidal can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cape Vidal 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 (Cape Vidal) 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 Cape Vidal 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.
Nearest