
Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 13 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 7s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 17 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with 2,740 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 7s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cintsa West this week:
The surf forecast for Cintsa West 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 1.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cintsa West in the next 16 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 17) 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 0.4m 3s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 13th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 7s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Fri 17th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming our way for the next couple of weeks.
We’re looking at a pretty extended run at Cintsa West, but you’re gonna have to be patient. There’s a real lull right now, with the first proper action kicking off Sunday morning. After that, the week ahead is a mixed bag, but there are a couple of absolute gems tucked away in there. The real standout action, the kind you set an alarm for, is looking like Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July, but we’ll get to that later.
Sunday morning the 12th is your entry point. It’s looking clean and inviting. We’ve got a 4 ft swell from the south with a decent period of 12 seconds, giving some real shape, and the wind is a glorious offshore from the north at just 3 mph. It’s glassy. The combined energy is moderate (818), so there’s some push. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is a solid 4° colder than normal. So it’s nippy. That Sunday afternoon, the rain moves in and the wind turns cross-onshore, so grab the morning session.
Monday the 13th sees us swell jump. The east swell pushes to 7 ft, but the period drops to a short 8 seconds and the wind is cross-shore. The energy is strong (1139), but that short period wind-swell won’t have the shape we want. Tuesday the 14th looks beautiful again with a 6 ft east swell, a 9-second period, and glassy conditions both morning and afternoon. Localised offshore winds from the west-south-west in the morning and light easterlies in the arvo will have it looking clean. This is a solid, paddly session for intermediates.
The middle of the week gets a bit messy. Wednesday and Thursday are okay, but nothing special with cross and cross-on winds. Friday the 17th is a write-off with howling 19 mph winds.
Then we get into the long-range promise. The real standout is Saturday the 25th of July. The morning at Cintsa West is going to be firing for the crew that can handle it. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the south-south-west with a very long, powerful 16-second period. The wind is a crisp offshore from the north-west at just 3 mph, keeping the waves clean. This is a point break, and that long-period, straight south-south-west swell will wrap in beautifully, offering long, grinding walls. The combined energy is strong (1408). It’s perfect for a more experienced surfer.
The other absolute beauty is Sunday morning the 26th of July. It’s a very similar setup: a 5 ft south-south-west groundswell (16-second period) with glassy conditions – a light 3 mph south-south-west breeze keeping the surface like glass. The energy is still strong (1178). If you’re an intermediate or above looking for a clean, powerful, and uncrowded session, this is your window. Crowds are only a *sometimes* thing here, so you might have a fair bit of ocean to yourself.
For the absolute best of the best, it’s the morning of Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th. That’s where you want to be.
Stay frothing,
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the WSW on Fri morning, calm by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sun 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | S 11 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 14 | E 10 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
313 | 319 | 620 | 489 | 390 | 517 | 476 | 427 | 356 | 371 | 331 | 288 | 362 | 252 | 2740 | 861 | 713 | 701 | 527 | 768 | 431 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | off | cross | cross | off | glassy | on | off | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:21PM1.33m | 2:40AM1.52m | 3:12PM1.46m | 3:29AM1.59m | 3:59PM1.57m | 4:13AM1.62m | 4:42PM1.64m | 4:54AM1.61m | 5:23PM1.67m | 5:33AM1.56m | 6:02PM1.65m | 6:10AM1.47m | 6:40PM1.58m | 6:47AM1.37m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:22PM0.29m | 9:00AM0.16m | 9:16PM0.19m | 9:45AM0.07m | 10:04PM0.13m | 10:26AM0.02m | 10:49PM0.10m | 11:05AM0.00m | 11:30PM0.13m | 11:42AM0.03m | 00:11AM0.19m | 12:17PM0.10m | 00:50AM0.28m | 12:52PM0.20m | |||||||
— | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | |
5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | 5:21 | |
mm | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 24 |
Feels °C | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
313 | 319 | 345 | 365 | 390 | 517 | 476 | 427 | 356 | 371 | 331 | 288 | 311 | 252 | 722 | 861 | 713 | 701 | 379 | 768 | 431 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 9 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SSE 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 14 | E 8 | E 9 |
— | 289 | 184 | 172 | 170 | 70 | 28 | 18 | 16 | 10 | 47 | 130 | 362 | 202 | 162 | 125 | 123 | 94 | 527 | 309 | 181 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 10 | — | S 10 | SSE 9 | SW 10 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SE 11 | S 10 | — | — | — | SW 18 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SW 13 |
— | — | 11 | — | 100 | 29 | 24 | 14 | 11 | 7 | 27 | 128 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 12 | 5 | 21 | 45 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | — | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | — | — | SW 4 | SSW 4 | — | — | — | WSW 3 | SW 13 | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | — | — |
312 | — | 620 | 489 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 2740 | — | — | 49 | 290 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 431 | 0 | 43 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 461 | 456 | 0 | 100 | 424 | 295 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Cintsa West Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Cintsa West provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Cintsa West can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Cintsa West 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 (Cintsa West) 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 Cintsa West 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 Eastern Cape - Wild Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Cintsa West, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, consider staying in East London which is 28 km (17 miles) away. Other places in and around Eastern Cape - Wild Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Butterworth which is 56 km (35 miles) away, Stutterheim and Bisho.











