
Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 3 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SSE swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 3 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 12s period, SSW swell with 4,825 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 3 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period with SSE 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 Friday (Jul 03) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cintsa West in the next 16 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 03) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 05) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright folks, it's Rusty here, and let's get stuck right into what's shaping up for Cintsa West over the next couple of weeks. We'll take it day by day.
The water at Cintsa West is sitting at a frigid 64°F, which is a whopping 5°F colder than normal for this time of year. That's a seriously notable chill, so a good 5/4 wetsuit is non-negotiable.
We kick things off on Friday, July 3rd, with a solid but tricky 10ft SW swell right out of the gate. The combined swell energy is a hefty 4172, but it’s arriving with a cross-off wind at 12 mph and a note about questionable tides, so it’s not the cleanest start. The real standout window for the week begins on Saturday morning, July 4th. The wind goes glassy with a light 3 mph W breeze, and we've got a beautiful 8ft SE groundswell with a 12-second period. That's a clean, pumping morning for experienced surfers. The energy drops to 1773, but the quality will be top-notch.
Sunday the 5th is still decent with a 5ft SE swell and clean conditions with a light offshore, but the energy drops to 638. Monday and Tuesday, July 6th and 7th, see the swell fade right down to under 3ft, even with a long 14-second period on Tuesday. It's small, but clean.
Don't sleep on Thursday the 9th. The wind is dead calm and glassy, and we get another good pulse of 8ft S swell with 11-second period. The combined energy jumps back up to 2774, making for another excellent morning for the experienced crew, though the tide will need checking. Friday the 10th stays clean and glassy with a dropping 6ft S swell, which is a nice easy day.
The second week gets a little more interesting and less reliable. Saturday the 11th is a write-off with onshore winds and afternoon thunderstorms. Sunday the 12th sees a long-period 7ft S swell (16-second period) but with horrible 19 mph cross-winds and lumpy conditions. A tough call.
The next standout looks to be Monday morning, July 13th. Another glassy calm morning with a 5ft S swell at 13 seconds. The wind is zero. Pure glass. The energy is a moderate 773, but the conditions will be perfect.
Then we have a bit of a lull through the middle of the week, with smaller, cleaner but weaker swells. The pattern changes on Thursday, July 16th, where we get a 3ft SSW swell with an absurdly long 18-second period. The energy is 598. That's a proper groundswell, but for a beach break like Cintsa West, that long period can make it break a bit straight. It’s worth a look if you've got a log.
The potential highlight of the whole period lands on Friday morning, July 17th. We get a 7ft ENE swell, but the key detail is an 8-second period. That is short-period wind swell, not a groundswell. But with a light offshore NW wind at 6 mph, it’ll be clean and punchy. The energy reading is a strong 1289. It’s listed for experienced surfers, and that's because at 7ft with a short period, it could be a bit of a beast. The glassy afternoon with 7ft waves is a good consolation.
The last two days, July 18th show a return of a 10ft E wind swell, but with strong cross-winds and an 8-9 second period. The combined energy is 2514-2751, which is significant, but the messy conditions mean this setup looks far more interesting for kite-surfing than paddle-surfing.
So, to wrap it up: the absolute best windows are Saturday morning, July 4th and Thursday morning, July 9th for the experienced crew. If you want a super clean, smaller session, Monday morning July 13th is your bet. The Friday, July 17th morning is a promising wind-swell option that could be a real sleeper. Everything else is pretty average.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 11 | SSE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 8 | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2214 | 2521 | 2982 | 1711 | 1299 | 711 | 583 | 445 | 258 | 147 | 101 | 125 | 269 | 269 | 224 | 210 | 163 | 435 | 1542 | 1854 | 1311 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | off | cross | off | off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:56PM1.46m | 5:58AM1.42m | 6:30PM1.45m | 6:33AM1.36m | 7:06PM1.43m | 7:12AM1.29m | 7:48PM1.40m | 7:59AM1.21m | 8:40PM1.35m | 9:02AM1.13m | 9:47PM1.31m | 10:26AM1.08m | 11:11PM1.30m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:39AM0.16m | 11:58PM0.31m | 12:10PM0.19m | 00:34AM0.34m | 12:44PM0.23m | 1:15AM0.38m | 1:22PM0.29m | 2:04AM0.42m | 2:08PM0.36m | 3:04AM0.47m | 3:07PM0.44m | 4:22AM0.49m | 4:26PM0.49m | ||||||||
7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 24 | 18 | 24 | 26 | 19 | 26 | 27 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 23 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 |
1517 | 2521 | 2982 | 1711 | 1299 | 711 | 583 | 445 | 258 | 147 | 98 | 59 | 269 | 269 | 224 | 210 | 163 | 137 | 1219 | 1854 | 1311 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 10 | S 9 | S 9 | ENE 6 | E 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 9 |
425 | 175 | 188 | 47 | 28 | 96 | 41 | 25 | 26 | 21 | 101 | 125 | 30 | 35 | 24 | 19 | 119 | 147 | 7 | 7 | 8 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | SW 20 | SSW 18 | ESE 11 | SW 10 | ESE 12 | S 9 | SW 13 | ENE 6 | SW 12 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 15 | SE 13 |
16 | 31 | 52 | 15 | 31 | 25 | 14 | 26 | 14 | 44 | 14 | 68 | 42 | 30 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | SW 5 | SSW 8 | S 11 | — | — |
2214 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 60 | 435 | 1542 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 262 | 324 | 1 | 0 | 431 | 10 |
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.










