Surf Forecasts:
Cave Rock surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, S swell with 1,014 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 12s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cave Rock this week:
The surf forecast for Cave Rock over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cave Rock in the next 16 days are 1.6m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cave Rock over the next 16 days.
Alright, let’s break it down. Rusty here, and we’re talkin’ Cave Rock.
The first real window hits Sunday morning, July 12th. Swell is 4ft from the South with a 12-second period – that’s a proper groundswell. The wind is glass, dead calm, so it’s gonna be smooth as butter. Combined energy is 515 (moderate), and this reef is exposed, so it’ll handle the swell well. Water temp is 71°F, pretty normal for this time of year. This is an advanced spot, and crowds are only sometimes, so if you’re up for it, get out early.
Sunday afternoon drops off a little with a light cross-on breeze, so not the pick.
Tuesday afternoon, July 14th, is another cracker. Swell hits 6ft from the East, 9-second period, with a cross-offshore wind from the NNE at 15 km/h (9 mph). That’s clean, no chop. Combined energy is 613 (moderate-strong). Good power, good shape. Crowds are only sometimes.
Thursday morning, July 16th, is glassy again – 5ft East swell, 10-second period, ENE wind at just 5 km/h (3 mph). The combined energy is 403 (moderate). A clean, fun-sized day.
Saturday afternoon, July 18th, turns glassy again with a 5ft SSE swell, 11-second period, and combined energy at 614 (moderate-strong). That’s a solid afternoon session.
Looking further out, Sunday morning July 19th has a 5ft South swell with a 14-second period – very long period groundswell. Combined energy is 1082 (strong). The wind is cross-off from the NNE at 30 km/h (19 mph), so clean but breezy. That long period will make it powerful at the reef, best for experts. It’s a promising call but further out, so don’t lock it in yet.
From Monday July 20th onward, the swell drops off hard. Winds get messy, and the wave conditions are mostly poor. A few small pulses come through – like the 22nd (2ft South, 20-second period, energy 322) and the 23rd (3ft SSW, 16-second period, energy 688) – but the wind is either strong or lumpy, so it won’t be worth the paddle. The last flicker is Monday the 27th afternoon: 3ft SSW, 19-second period, energy 795 (moderate-strong), but with a light cross-on breeze, it’s only marginal.
So, for the whole run: Sunday the 12th morning, Tuesday the 14th afternoon, and Saturday the 18th afternoon are your best bets. After that, it’s mostly flat or blown out. Get on it while you can.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 15 | S 12 | SSE 11 | S 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 480 | 389 | 123 | 210 | 285 | 181 | 378 | 553 | 516 | 563 | 563 | 500 | 379 | 379 | 377 | 277 | 192 | 284 | 604 | 436 | 919 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:23PM1.66m | 2:41AM1.77m | 3:15PM1.80m | 3:30AM1.86m | 4:01PM1.92m | 4:14AM1.92m | 4:43PM1.98m | 4:55AM1.93m | 5:23PM2.00m | 5:34AM1.89m | 6:01PM1.96m | 6:11AM1.82m | 6:38PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:08AM0.46m | 8:29PM0.48m | 8:59AM0.33m | 9:22PM0.37m | 9:45AM0.22m | 10:08PM0.29m | 10:27AM0.16m | 10:51PM0.26m | 11:06AM0.15m | 11:31PM0.27m | 11:44AM0.18m | 00:10AM0.32m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:48AM0.41m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |
 | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — |
mm | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 6 | S 12 | SSE 11 | S 14 |
| kJ | 480 | 389 | 71 | 210 | 285 | 181 | 378 | 553 | 516 | 563 | 563 | 500 | 379 | 379 | 377 | 277 | 192 | 75 | 604 | 436 | 919 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | E 5 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | SE 9 | E 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
| kJ | 21 | 25 | 78 | 157 | 119 | 110 | 184 | 31 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 153 | 111 | 111 | 85 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 13 | S 11 | S 14 | S 14 | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | S 19 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 15 | S 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | — | S 15 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 14 | 3 | 123 | 63 | 33 | 76 | 35 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 14 | 284 | — | 67 | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | ENE 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | ENE 3 | — | SSW 5 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | E 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 314 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | 22 | 120 | 153 | — | — | 74 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 164 | 789 | 276 | 38 | 0 | 11 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cave Rock Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cave Rock provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cave Rock can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cave Rock 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 (Cave Rock) 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 Cave Rock 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Cave Rock, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, consider staying in Durban which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Glenwood which is 8 km (5 miles) away, Umlazi, Kwamashu and Umhlanga.
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