Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, SW swell with 2,371 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s period with SSW 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Cintsa West in the next 16 days are 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk about it. Cintsa West is the spot on the radar, but this stretch is going to test your patience.
For the first week and a half, expect a whole lot of average. We're looking at mostly lumpy, cross-shore conditions with the wind messing up a lot of potential swell. Wave heights are inconsistent, mostly in the 4-7ft range, but the quality is just poor. The energy in the water is moderate, nothing special. Water temp is about normal for the season.
Now, the one day that really jumps out is Friday, August 28th. Get up early. The wind will be dead calm, glassy as it gets. You’ve got a clean 5ft SSW groundswell with a 14 second period, and solid energy of 1338 pushing through. That’s the day. The afternoon looks just as clean, with 5ft and glassy conditions again. For a point break, that long period is going to make for some beautiful, lined-up waves. This is easily the pick of the bunch.
There’s also a potential session on Tuesday, September 1st. The swell is bigger, around 8ft, but it's a short-period ENE windswell, which is a bit junky. The wind will be clean and cross-offshore, though, which is a plus. This one’s more for the experienced crew, as it’ll be a bit more powerful and sectiony. It has some promise, but that glassy Friday is the winner.
The rest of the time is mostly a wash. The 19th and 20th have some small swell but the cross-wind ruins it. The 22nd to the 24th sees a bit more size, but it’s lumpy and cross-onshore, so not great. The 26th and 27th are back to small and messy. The 29th and 30th look properly rough with strong winds and rain. The 30th has a 6ft swell with a 40km/h onshore wind, which is just blown-out chaos, more for the kite surfers than us.
So be patient, wait for that clean dawn patrol on the 28th, and it should be worth the wait.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat morning, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SW on Sat afternoon, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 8 | SW 10 | SSW 11 | S 13 | S 14 | S 15 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 19 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 663 | 563 | 373 | 276 | 1859 | 1073 | 519 | 425 | 284 | 330 | 837 | 1828 | 933 | 1751 | 1483 | 1169 | 1467 | 522 | 764 | 589 | 1800 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:30PM1.23m | 7:39AM1.06m | 8:10PM1.08m | 8:39AM0.93m | 10:07PM0.97m | 12:31PM0.91m | 00:55AM1.03m | 1:46PM1.05m | 1:49AM1.16m | 2:21PM1.19m | 2:24AM1.29m | 2:49PM1.34m | 2:53AM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:09PM0.43m | 1:44AM0.55m | 1:44PM0.58m | 2:39AM0.67m | 2:48PM0.72m | 5:33AM0.73m | 6:24PM0.74m | 7:32AM0.61m | 7:43PM0.62m | 8:09AM0.47m | 8:20PM0.49m | 8:37AM0.33m | 8:50PM0.36m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 21 | 23 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ENE 6 | S 12 | S 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 13 | S 14 | S 15 | S 17 | S 15 | S 13 | SSW 12 | S 19 |
| kJ | 663 | 563 | 373 | 172 | 1859 | 1073 | 519 | 425 | 112 | 330 | 192 | 947 | 933 | 1751 | 1483 | 1169 | 1467 | 522 | 764 | 589 | 1800 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 6 | E 8 | SSW 12 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | — | S 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | S 10 | E 9 | S 22 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 60 | 43 | 66 | 276 | 21 | 12 | 12 | — | 284 | 79 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 198 | 6 | 37 | 214 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 9 | — | ENE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | E 9 | — |
| kJ | — | 56 | — | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | 6 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 3 | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | ENE 6 | SW 6 | SSW 8 | SW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 107 | — | — | — | — | 9 | 225 | 150 | 837 | 1828 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 28 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 43 | 1 | 262 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 43 | 431 | 0 | 297 | 456 | 144 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 380 | 431 |
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.
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