Cintsa West Surf Break

Lat Long: 32.83° S 28.12° E

Issued: 7 pm 05 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Cintsa West sea temperature is
17.8° C

2.4°C colder than average for this time of year

Cintsa West surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Cintsa West surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with 2,904 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 5 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 11s period with SE 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 05) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 5s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m and 5s is also forecast. 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 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sun 5th Jul)3.5ft (1.1m) 11s
Best Surf 5AM (Thu 9th Jul)6.5ft (2.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 5PM (Thu 9th Jul)8ft (2.5m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cookin’ at Cintsa West over the next couple of weeks.

Straight off the bat, we’ve got a small window of clean, fun surf to kick things off, but then things get a bit messy for a while. The first standout is without a doubt Monday the 6th of July. We’re talkin’ a glassy, clear morning with a clean 3ft swell rollin’ in from the SE. The period is a solid 11 seconds, givin’ the waves some real shape and push for a point break like this. Combined energy is a moderate 216, so there’s enough grunt to have fun. Winds are dead calm from the WNW at just 3 mph – glassy as it gets. Water temp is pretty average for this time of year, no major anomaly to speak of. This is the one to paddle out for.

Now, the rest of the first week turns ordinary. Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th are blown out by cross-shore winds, with swell dropping and period shortening. Thursday the 9th sees a solid bump in size, with the swell hittin’ 6ft to 8ft and energy crankin’ up to 1236 and then 4515, but the wind is cross-shore and the conditions are just marginal at best. A lot of that big energy is wasted on a lumpy surface.

After a gap of a few days with no real standouts, we get another decent look later on. Friday the 17th of July is worth a mention. The morning brings a clean 4ft SSW swell with a 13-second period, and the wind is a light offshore from the NNE at 6 mph. It won’t be huge, but for a clean point break session, it could be real nice. The energy sits at 693, so there’s enough to keep you interested.

The rest of the second week looks like a mixed bag of small swells and onshore wind, with another gap in quality surf from the 18th onward. The 21st shows a tiny 2ft swell but with a long 18-second period and light cross-shore wind – maybe a longboard morning if you’re keen, but nothin’ to get excited about.

So, to sum it up: get out there Monday the 6th of July morning, and keep an eye on Friday the 17th of July morning. Everything else is a write-off or a gamble.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
Sun
12
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
1
0
1
2
0
0
3
2
3
4
3
2
4
2
1
3
2
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
SE
11
0.8
SE
11
0.8
SE
10
0.6
SSW
12
0.7
SSW
14
0.7
SSW
14
0.8
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
13
0.8
SSW
13
1.7
SSW
14
1.9
SSW
13
2.5
SSW
14
2.5
S
14
2.5
S
14
2.4
S
14
2.2
S
13
1.8
S
12
2
SSE
12
1.4
S
12
1.9
SSE
8
1.7
SSE
8
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
263
159
124
90
173
161
181
269
198
1059
1211
2904
2570
2428
2103
1607
980
1108
547
504
433
Wind (km/h)
10
NNW
5
WNW
5
SE
10
NNW
15
SSW
10
SSW
5
N
20
SW
25
SW
15
WSW
20
SW
25
SW
10
WSW
5
SW
10
E
10
NNE
25
NE
25
ENE
15
WSW
15
W
30
W
Wind State
off
glassy
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
7:12AM1.29m
7:48PM1.40m
7:59AM1.21m
8:40PM1.35m
9:02AM1.13m
9:47PM1.31m
10:26AM1.08m
11:11PM1.30m
12:02PM1.11m
00:34AM1.34m
1:20PM1.20m
1:43AM1.43m
2:21PM1.33m
Low Tide
1:15AM0.38m
1:22PM0.29m
2:04AM0.42m
2:08PM0.36m
3:04AM0.47m
3:07PM0.44m
4:22AM0.49m
4:26PM0.49m
5:49AM0.46m
5:57PM0.48m
7:07AM0.38m
7:17PM0.40m
8:09AM0.27m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
light rain
part cloud
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:09
7:09
7:09
7:09
7:09
7:09
7:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:13
5:14
5:14
5:15
5:15
5:15
5:15
5:16
 mm
3
4
Temp °C
18
24
22
22
24
21
16
21
22
17
18
19
15
16
17
16
20
23
18
21
22
Feels °C
14
21
19
17
20
17
17
16
17
14
14
14
12
15
15
15
16
19
17
17
15
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
SE
11
0.8
SE
11
0.8
SE
10
0.6
SE
10
0.6
ENE
7
0.7
SSW
14
0.8
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
13
0.8
SSW
13
1.7
SSW
14
1.9
SSW
13
2.1
SSW
14
2.5
S
14
2.5
S
14
2.4
S
14
2.2
S
13
1.8
S
12
2
SSE
12
1.4
S
12
1.9
SSE
8
1.7
SSE
8
Energy kJ
263
159
124
82
43
161
181
269
198
1059
1211
1587
2570
2428
2103
1607
980
1108
547
504
433
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
E
5
0.4
ENE
6
0.4
SSW
12
0.6
SSW
12
0.7
SSW
14
0.5
ENE
8
0.4
ENE
8
0.4
NE
8
0.4
SE
9
0.2
ESE
9
0.3
E
10
0.3
E
9
0.2
E
9
0.1
NE
8
0.2
ENE
8
0.2
ENE
8
0.7
ESE
6
0.2
E
8
1
E
7
1.2
E
8
1.1
E
8
Energy kJ
15
13
59
90
173
33
25
15
23
9
16
15
7
3
7
7
31
5
94
185
156
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.4
SW
14
0.4
SW
13
0.4
ENE
7
0.4
ENE
7
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
10
0.4
ESE
10
0.4
SE
9
0.3
ENE
7
0.2
E
10
0.3
NE
8
0.1
SE
15
0.1
NE
8
0.1
E
10
0.1
SE
13
0.2
ENE
8
0.3
ENE
8
0.9
S
8
0.7
SSW
12
0.8
SSW
11
Energy kJ
47
44
15
20
48
48
37
22
11
8
9
9
3
2
7
6
11
100
140
161
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
SSW
5
0.4
SSW
3
1.3
SSW
5
2.5
SSW
14
1.2
E
6
1.5
ESE
7
Energy kJ
26
3
86
2904
92
187
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
Distance (km)
0
0
0
0
28
1
0
100
330
1
29
324
0
1
431
0
295
123
0
1
213
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
4
4
5
5
4
4
4
3
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
6
4
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
5
6
5
8
5
5
8
6
5
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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