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Surf Forecasts:
Hell surfForecast / West Coast / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 am Sunday 17 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Hell surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Hell sea temperature is
15.1° C
(Which is 1.8°C colder than average for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hell this week:
The surf forecast for Hell over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hell in the next 16 days are 2.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (May 24) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Sunday (May 17) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 19th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 19th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 24th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hell over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | |
440 | 754 | 837 | 955 | 971 | 1374 | 1657 | 1171 | 501 | 349 | 195 | 148 | 113 | 146 | 260 | 338 | 432 | 472 | 854 | 956 | 1736 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 3:43PM1.62m | 3:56AM1.69m | 4:29PM1.59m | 4:45AM1.61m | 5:19PM1.53m | 5:37AM1.49m | 6:13PM1.46m | 6:35AM1.36m | 7:15PM1.38m | 7:43AM1.24m | 8:25PM1.33m | 9:01AM1.16m | 9:39PM1.31m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:30AM-0.04m | 9:46PM0.11m | 10:15AM0.00m | 10:35PM0.15m | 11:02AM0.08m | 11:27PM0.22m | 11:53AM0.19m | 00:25AM0.32m | 12:48PM0.31m | 1:34AM0.41m | 1:53PM0.42m | 2:55AM0.47m | 3:08PM0.49m | 4:18AM0.46m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — |
 | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 |
15 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 13 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | S 10 | WSW 13 | S 9 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | S 6 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 |
 kJ | 440 | 754 | 837 | 955 | 971 | 596 | 1317 | 414 | 501 | 349 | 195 | 148 | 62 | 41 | 108 | 338 | 432 | 472 | 854 | 956 | 1736 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | — | W 12 | S 10 | — | — | WSW 13 | S 15 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 11 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | S 9 | SW 16 | — |
| kJ | 233 | — | 3 | 34 | — | — | 528 | 4 | 320 | 180 | 123 | 79 | 82 | 146 | 260 | 101 | 202 | 163 | 2 | 306 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 11 | S 6 | WSW 10 | S 10 | S 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 249 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 39 | 99 | 113 | 47 | 18 | 32 | 8 | 7 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 5 | — |
| kJ | 98 | 282 | 413 | 352 | 410 | 1374 | 1657 | 1171 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 34 | 28 | 34 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Hell 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.
Information about the Hell Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hell provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hell can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hell 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 (Hell) 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 Hell 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.
Hell is 34 km (21 miles) from the city of Saldanha. If you plan a holiday in West Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Saldanha. Saldanha has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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