
Surf Forecasts:
Cintsa West surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, S swell with 5,281 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 8s 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.7m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 11s 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 3.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 7ft (2.2m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Cintsa West over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming for Cintsa West.
Alright, over the next few weeks, we’ve got a mixed bag. The surf starts off pretty average, and there’s a long stretch of nothing too special in the middle. The real standout is a solid pulse of swell later on, but we’ve got to get through a lot of marginal days first.
Right now, Cintsa West is the only spot on the cards. On Saturday the 5th, we’ve got a small 4 ft swell from the south with a period of 11 seconds, but it’s a cross-shore wind from the ENE at 9 mph, and the water is sitting at 66°F, which is about 2°F cooler than normal for this time of year – nothing to write home about. The combined energy is weak at 560, and the conditions are just marginal. Not worth paddling out for.
The next few days don’t improve much. Sunday the 6th has a bigger 5 ft SSW swell in the afternoon, but the energy is strong at 2309, and the wind is cross-on from the east at 9 mph, making it choppy. The whole week up to around the 11th is a write-off – poor surf, poor conditions, and the wind just doesn’t line up.
From the 12th to the 14th, we see some bigger swell push through, like 7 ft to 10 ft, but the wind is either cross-on or fresh, and the periods are short (7 to 9 seconds), so it’s messy and lumpy. A 10 ft wave with a 9-second period on the 13th is just a washing machine – that’s for experts only, and even then, it’s not clean.
The real bright spot comes on Saturday the 19th of September. The morning shows a solid 10 ft swell from the east, with a 9-second period and a combined energy of 3066 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is light and cross-shore from the ENE at 9 mph, so it’s going to be lumpy but rideable. This is the best on offer across the whole run. The swell is big, so it’s not for beginners, but for experienced surfers, it’s the biggest and most consistent day we’ve got. The optimum direction is SE, so this east swell is a bit off, but the size makes up for it.
Sunday the 20th still has decent 5 ft swell from the east with a 10-second period, and it’s clean with a cross-off wind from the NNE at 9 mph. That’s a nice little session to finish the run.
Overall, it’s a pretty lean period. The first week is mostly forgettable, and the second week has a couple of big, messy days. The standout is definitely the 19th – it’s the one to circle on the calendar. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so if you’re out on that Saturday morning, you might have some company.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Sat night, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 30°C on Wed morning, min 18°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | S 11 | SSW 23 | SSW 20 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
291 | 326 | 623 | 1786 | 5183 | 2107 | 1281 | 472 | 606 | 567 | 689 | 541 | 554 | 304 | 190 | 194 | 575 | 236 | 220 | 137 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 10:48PM1.07m | 12:17PM1.05m | 00:50AM1.17m | 1:31PM1.24m | 1:49AM1.33m | 2:17PM1.44m | 2:31AM1.46m | 2:54PM1.60m | 3:07AM1.56m | 3:27PM1.72m | 3:40AM1.62m | 3:59PM1.78m | 4:11AM1.64m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:41PM0.65m | 5:43AM0.61m | 6:28PM0.59m | 7:15AM0.46m | 7:42PM0.42m | 8:03AM0.29m | 8:27PM0.26m | 8:40AM0.14m | 9:05PM0.13m | 9:13AM0.03m | 9:38PM0.04m | 9:44AM-0.03m | 10:09PM0.00m | |||||||
— | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | |
mm | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 7 |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 30 | 29 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 29 | 28 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 20 | S 17 | S 15 | S 14 | S 11 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 16 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
291 | 326 | 239 | 1786 | 5183 | 2107 | 1281 | 229 | 368 | 377 | 363 | 297 | 311 | 304 | 190 | 194 | 575 | 132 | 103 | 86 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SE 7 | SSW 23 | S 10 | SW 17 | — | — | SSW 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SW 14 | SSW 5 | SSW 19 | E 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 |
33 | 64 | 623 | 198 | 1722 | — | — | 229 | 198 | 106 | 49 | 55 | 31 | 46 | 8 | 143 | 162 | 236 | 220 | 93 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 28 | SSE 13 | S 13 | — | — | — | — | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 9 | SSW 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | SE 13 | SE 12 |
17 | 15 | 18 | 121 | — | — | — | — | 66 | 50 | 28 | 23 | 11 | 17 | 30 | 14 | 9 | 33 | 7 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 7 | E 10 | E 9 | E 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | — | SW 4 | SW 5 | SW 5 | — | SSE 7 | SSE 7 |
219 | 125 | 125 | 204 | 202 | 169 | 385 | 472 | 606 | 567 | 689 | 541 | 554 | — | 12 | 6 | 23 | — | 45 | 137 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 431 | 10 | 153 | 431 | 213 | 403 | 456 | 123 | 43 | 271 | 78 | 43 | 123 | 1 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 497 | 43 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










