Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Alright, let’s talk about what’s shaping up at Cintsa West. We’ve got a classic point break on the cards, and over the next 16 days, there are a couple of real windows where it’ll be worth getting in the water. Don’t expect consistent, non-stop action, but when it’s on, it’s on.

Starting off on Monday the 17th of August, we get our first real taste. The morning is glassy, with a clean 4.3ft easterly swell, period around 11 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 418. It’s a nice, clean start. The water temp is 62.6°, which is 5.2° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit – that’s a proper chill for the Eastern Cape.

That Monday arvo gets a bit of a cross-on breeze, so not as clean, but still some fun waves around. Tuesday the 18th is pretty average with smaller swell and crossing winds. Wednesday the 19th is the first standout. The morning is a bit messy with a northeasterly, but the afternoon turns glassy again, with a solid 3.9ft swell shifting to the SSW, period hitting 13 seconds, and combined energy at 599 – that’s a proper groundswell with some push. This is the kind of long-period swell that loves a point break like this, giving you longer, shaped-up lines.

Now, Thursday the 20th sees size pick up. The morning has a 7.2ft SSW swell (12-second period) with a clean cross-off wind, and the energy jumps to 2036 – moderate to strong. That’s good for intermediate surfers, but watch out: the afternoon pushes to 11.5ft (14-second period) with a choppy cross-on breeze, which is only for experts. That afternoon energy is 6437 – very strong. Friday and Saturday lose the magic with bigger winds and smaller, weaker swell.

Then Sunday the 23rd of August is the next real gem. Morning is glassy again, with a clean 5.9ft SSW swell at 13 seconds, combined energy of 989. That’s a beautiful, moderate-to-strong groundswell on a glassy point – you can’t ask for much more. This is your second standout session.

After that, the first week of September looks a bit messy. Monday the 31st of August has some rain and inconsistent swell up to 5.6ft, but the energy is high. Tuesday the 1st of September is similar, with a cross-shore wind and a 5.2ft SSW swell, but the wind is too strong for real quality.

Overall, the best two windows are Wednesday afternoon the 19th of August and Sunday morning the 23rd of August. Clean, glassy conditions with solid SSW groundswell and moderate energy. The crowds can show up here sometimes, but on those glassy mornings, it’s worth the paddle.

Stay stoked.

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