Cintsa West surfForecast / Eastern Cape – Wild Coast / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 am Friday 09 Jan 2026 SAST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Cintsa West surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Cintsa West sea temperature is
19.5° C
(Which is 3.9°C colder than average for this time of year)


Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Cintsa West this week:

The surf forecast for Cintsa West over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jan 11) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Cintsa West in the next 12 days are 2.1m 13s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jan 09) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jan 13) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Sun 11th Jan)4.5ft (1.3m) 14s
Best Surf 8PM (Mon 12th Jan)4ft (1.2m) 16s
Most Powerful 2PM (Fri 9th Jan)7ft (2.1m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sun morning, min 20°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Fri night, fresh winds from the ENE by Sun afternoon).

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 23°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds.

Friday
09
Saturday
10
Sunday
11
Monday
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
AMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNight
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
2
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
2
4
0
0
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.3
S
2
S
1.6
S
1.4
S
1.1
S
1
S
1.1
S
2.2
E
3
ENE
0.9
SSW
1.2
SSW
1.3
SSW
0.9
SSW
0.9
SSW
0.8
SSW
1
E
1.2
E
1.1
E
1.2
E
1
E
1.6
SSW
Period(s) (?)1413121110141388201815141312889997
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)67413366984402504234145661162671823746322298161140210177225168219
Wind
(km/h)
25
SSW
20
S
10
ESE
15
ENE
25
ENE
15
NE
25
ENE
30
ENE
15
NE
10
SSE
15
S
10
WSW
10
SSE
15
E
5
W
10
E
30
ENE
10
NNE
30
WSW
30
SW
15
SSW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on
cross-
on
oncross-
on
cross-
on
crosscross-
on
crosscrossoncross-
on
cross-
off
oncross-
on
glasscross-
on
crosscross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross
High Tide
/ height (m)
7:36PM
1.18
8:14AM
1.28
8:20PM
1.07
9:05AM
1.18
9:27PM
0.97
10:23AM
1.10
11:24PM
0.94
12:05PM
1.09
1:06AM
1.00
1:20PM
1.16
2:03AM
1.10
2:10PM
1.25
2:44AM
1.21
Low Tide
/ height (m)
1:43PM
0.46
1:41AM
0.39
2:29PM
0.55
2:24AM
0.51
3:31PM
0.63
3:25AM
0.62
5:06PM
0.66
5:07AM
0.68
6:49PM
0.61
6:52AM
0.64
7:52PM
0.52
7:55AM
0.55
8:33PM
0.41
Friday
09
Saturday
10
Sunday
11
Monday
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Sunrise5:07--5:09--5:09--5:11--5:11--5:13--5:13--
Sunset-7:19--7:19--7:19--7:19--7:19--7:19--7:17-
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
rain showers
cloud
light rain
Rain (mm)
------------------1-2
Temp. °C252422212222303025292724282825282925242320
Feels °C (?)222123212022292926292828303028302924211817
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Latest Updates

submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Cintsa West:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Cintsa West surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


false

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 12 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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest