
Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 3 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 10 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, S swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, S swell with 5,837 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 3 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 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 3.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 10s. 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 3.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.6m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 05) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 3rd Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got some juicy swell on the cards, but the timing and conditions are going to be crucial. The standout period is definitely the Saturday morning, July 4th. Cintsa West is looking absolutely glassy with a clean 8ft SE swell rolling in. The combined energy is pumping hard at 1773 (moderate to strong), and that 12-second period means proper lines. The water is much colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 64°, so you’ll want a good steamer. The offshore wind direction is dialled in, and the crowd factor here is only *sometimes*, so you might get a few waves to yourself if you’re early.
After that, the swell drops but the quality holds. Sunday morning, July 5th, sees a smaller 5ft SE swell with clean, cross-off winds. The energy drops to 633, but it’s still a nice, clean option for a longboard or a fun mid-length. There's a bit of a lull early in the new week, with Monday July 6th dropping to knee-high 3ft on Tuesday, which is just not doing much.
Now, keep an eye on Friday, July 10th. The swell is building back up big time – a solid 10ft S swell arriving in the afternoon with a massive 5535 combined energy (strong). The problem is the wind is cross-on, which will mess up the face. It’s a powerful, long-period groundswell at 18 seconds, so the energy is incredible, but you’ll need to find a bank that can handle the onshore texture. This one’s for the experts only if the wind swings.
The real hidden gem might be Wednesday morning, July 15th. It’s a week and a half out, so don’t lock it in just yet, but look at this: a 10ft SW swell rolling in with glassy conditions. The combined energy is 2484, and the period is a punchy 10 seconds. If that WNW wind holds, Cintsa West could be absolutely firing and clean for the more experienced crew.
Let’s be honest, the second week is a bit of a mix. There are a few nice windows, like the 5ft SSW swell on Thursday the 16th morning with glassy conditions, and Friday the 17th morning with clean 6ft SSW swell. But the wind gets a bit wild later. The 19 mph winds on July 14th and 18th will make it a write-off.
Bottom line: grab Saturday morning, July 4th and Sunday morning, July 5th for the best bets this weekend. Score Wednesday morning, July 15th if the long-range forecast holds. The rest is a bit of a gamble or too small.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 27°C on Tue morning, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fri 3 | Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | S 8 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | S 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2629 | 2982 | 1711 | 1202 | 699 | 583 | 406 | 258 | 153 | 102 | 249 | 226 | 204 | 178 | 158 | 223 | 454 | 963 | 713 | 297 | 2285 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-on |
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 | 12:02PM1.11m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 5:49AM0.46m | ||||||||
— | — | 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 | — | 5:15 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | 2 |
Temp °C | 20 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 27 | 23 | 16 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 23 | 20 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | S 8 | S 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | S 16 |
2629 | 2982 | 1711 | 1202 | 699 | 583 | 406 | 258 | 153 | 102 | 249 | 226 | 204 | 178 | 158 | 223 | 454 | 963 | 713 | 297 | 2285 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | SW 10 | ESE 12 | SW 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | ENE 6 | E 6 | SSW 12 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 14 | E 10 | SW 16 | SSE 8 | E 9 |
175 | 154 | 47 | 27 | 70 | 27 | 26 | 30 | 21 | 59 | 79 | 46 | 35 | 40 | 22 | 6 | 207 | 8 | 61 | 64 | 7 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | E 13 | SW 20 | ESE 12 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 | S 9 | SW 13 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SE 9 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | S 16 | E 10 | SSW 14 | SE 13 |
31 | 51 | 15 | 28 | 38 | 23 | 22 | 14 | 43 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 33 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 53 | 5 | 8 | 201 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | ENE 4 | — | — | — | NE 7 | — | SSW 4 | — | SW 3 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 9 | 3 | — | — | — | 47 | — | 12 | — | 4 | 158 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 324 | 1 | 0 | 123 | 0 | 1 |
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.











