Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, S swell with 2,833 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period with ENE 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 (Aug 28) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 1.4m and 12s is also forecast. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 2PM. 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 Saturday (Aug 29) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let's get into it. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for us here. There’s a bit of a slow start, but we’ve got some solid groundswell building up in the backend that could have its moments.
Right now, it’s a bit of a waiting game. The first few days are pretty grovelly, with onshore breezes making things messy. You’ll want to sit back and let the ocean sort itself out. There’s a bit of energy early on, but the wind is just going to chop it all up. We’re looking at a couple of days with some lumpy, cross-shore chop, so it's not worth getting too excited about. The swell is there, but quality is the issue.
Things start to shape up a bit towards the end of the month. Friday morning (28th August) is our first real standout. We’ve got a clean 2.5m swell with a nice period, coming from the ENE, and a light cross-offshore breeze. It’s going to be a proper point break session. The energy is moderate to strong, with a combined swell energy reading of 2101. This is the kind of day you tell your mates about. Cintsa West is going to be firing, but that moderate size will keep the crowds down to those who know what they’re doing. Keep in mind, this spot is inconsistent, so when it’s on, you need to be on it. The water temp is sitting around 66°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing crazy.
Saturday morning (29th August) is a similar story, still clean with a 2.5m ENE swell and light cross-offshore winds. The energy is even a touch higher (2227). It’s right up there with the day before as one of the best calls for the next week. The water temp is about average for the season.
After that, the wind switches and it gets messy again, with a drop in swell size. Sunday and Monday look pretty average, with smaller waves and shifting winds.
Now, for the second week. We see a significant pulse of long-period SSW groundswell arriving around Wednesday 2nd September. It starts building, but the wind is coming from an onshore direction, which puts a bit of a crumble on it. By Thursday 3rd September, though, that light is gone. The wind swings around to the WSW and really cleans up the break. The swell is still solid at 1.8m, with a period of 11 seconds. It’s a bit of a tease, because that afternoon the bottom falls out with a severe blowout. There’s a big storm surge coming through from Thursday afternoon through Saturday, producing a huge, blown-out mess. It’s looking like a write-off for a couple of days. That big swell on Friday and Saturday is just too much and the wind will be howling. That’s more for the kite crew than us surfers, if you ask me.
The clean-up happens on Monday 7th September, but the swell has dropped a lot. It's still rideable, but nothing special. There is another pulse coming in from the ENE around the 8th, but again, the wind is going to be on it. It’s just a whole lot of so-so.
So, for my final call. It’s not a total loss. The standout sessions are clearly Friday 28th and Saturday 29th of August. They have the best combo of decent-sized swell, clean conditions, and the right direction. For the long-range stuff, the big SSW groundswell arriving on September 2nd and 3rd is promising, but the wind is a gamble. We might catch a few decent ones before it gets blown out, but it’s a case of being in the right place at the right time. It’s looking like a bit of a classic winter pattern for us, to be honest. It won't stay flat for long, and a forecast change could turn those so-so days into something worthwhile.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 33°C on Fri morning, min 17°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Thu afternoon, light winds from the NE by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Tue morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
797 | 952 | 1342 | 1067 | 1137 | 1434 | 1339 | 816 | 410 | 204 | 163 | 212 | 158 | 151 | 120 | 149 | 125 | 278 | 1447 | 1809 | 1578 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 3:41PM1.58m | 3:47AM1.57m | 4:07PM1.67m | 4:14AM1.61m | 4:34PM1.73m | 4:42AM1.62m | 5:01PM1.74m | 5:11AM1.59m | 5:30PM1.71m | 5:41AM1.52m | 6:01PM1.63m | 6:14AM1.42m | 6:36PM1.50m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:28AM0.11m | 9:45PM0.15m | 9:53AM0.03m | 10:12PM0.08m | 10:19AM-0.01m | 10:41PM0.05m | 10:46AM-0.02m | 11:10PM0.05m | 11:14AM0.01m | 11:40PM0.09m | 11:44AM0.08m | 00:13AM0.18m | 12:17PM0.19m | 00:51AM0.31m | |||||||
6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 20 | 23 | 21 | 33 | 33 | 25 | 32 | 29 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 15 | 18 | 18 | 29 | 31 | 24 | 29 | 27 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 11 | ENE 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | E 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | E 9 |
797 | 787 | 742 | 602 | 627 | 653 | 653 | 133 | 410 | 204 | 163 | 212 | 158 | 151 | 89 | 149 | 125 | 131 | 1447 | 1809 | 38 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 12 | SW 14 | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SSW 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | — |
192 | 421 | 575 | 339 | 274 | 260 | 228 | 8 | 61 | 38 | 11 | 151 | 81 | 34 | 120 | 122 | 63 | 278 | 90 | 70 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | — | — | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | SSE 14 | SW 14 | SW 10 | SSE 14 | SW 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SW 11 | — | SSW 14 | — | — | — | — |
197 | — | — | 93 | 125 | 120 | 7 | 16 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 30 | — | 71 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | — | — | SSW 8 | — | ENE 3 | ENE 5 | SW 4 | — | — | SSW 14 |
457 | 952 | 1342 | 1067 | 1137 | 1434 | 1339 | 816 | 63 | 90 | 114 | — | — | 87 | — | 3 | 32 | 19 | — | — | 1578 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 271 | 497 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 262 | 197 | 260 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 28 | 297 | 28 |
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.











