
Surf Forecasts:
Noordhoek surf forecast from 18 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 18s period, SSW swell with 8,095 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Noordhoek this week:
The surf forecast for Noordhoek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Noordhoek in the next 16 days are 3.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Noordhoek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watching this coast for years. This is your 16-day look at Noordhoek, a reef break that’s very consistent and gets plenty of southwest swell. The water is about 64°F right now, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.
The first decent surf is on Saturday afternoon, July 18th. We’ve got a 6ft southwest swell at 10 seconds, with a 15 mph cross-off breeze. The energy is moderate (932), and it’s clean. It’s a bit marginal due to tide, but it’s a start. Sunday morning, July 19th, looks cleaner with a light 6 mph cross-off wind, 6ft SW swell, and a longer 9-second period. The energy is up a bit (1055), and it’s rated very good. Sunday afternoon, the wind jumps to 22 mph, the swell hits 8ft – that’s expert territory – and the wind is cross-off but strong, so only for the experienced.
Monday morning, July 20th, is your first real standout. We’ve got 7ft of WSW groundswell at 10 seconds, light 6 mph cross-off wind, and the energy is strong (2603). The conditions are clean, and the surf is excellent for experienced surfers. This is a solid session. The afternoon sees a weird shift to a 5ft SE swell with a 12-second period, but the wind goes cross and the texture gets bumpy – not the best.
The next few days are a mix of solid swell and tricky wind. Tuesday, July 21st, has a long-period 6ft SW swell (15 seconds!) but the wind is cross-on, making it choppy. Wednesday, July 22nd, has 7ft SW swell at 13 seconds with a fresh 19 mph cross-off wind – it’s clean but the wind is strong. Thursday, July 23rd, morning has 10ft SW swell, but it’s 15 mph cross-off, and it’s described as marginal. The energy is very strong (2457), but it’s a big, windy day.
Friday morning, July 24th, is the total standout. This is a serious event. We’re looking at 13ft from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell, very long period. The energy is massive (7862). The wind is 15 mph from the west, cross-off, and it’s clean. This is a big, powerful, expert-only session. The afternoon drops to 12ft but the wind goes cross, so it’s not as clean.
Saturday morning, July 25th, has 10ft SSW swell at 14 seconds with a tiny 3 mph cross-off breeze – almost glassy. The energy is still very strong (3290), and it’s excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a great morning if you’re skilled. The rest of July 25th and July 26th drops off with smaller swell and cross or cross-on winds.
We hit a rough patch from July 27th morning through to July 31st. The swell stays big (6ft to 12ft), but the wind is either strong cross-off or fresh cross-on, and the energy is moderate to strong. The surf quality is poor or marginal. July 28th afternoon, the wind goes fresh cross-on and it’s lumpy – not good. July 29th and 30th are a write-off with onshore winds and poor conditions.
August 1st is a quiet day with only 5ft SW swell, light cross-on wind, and marginal conditions. But then Sunday morning, August 2nd, is another beautiful window. 7ft from the SSW with a super long 17-second period, light 3 mph west cross-off wind, and the energy is very strong (2861). The conditions are clean and excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon is even better – glassy, with a 3 mph south wind and the same 7ft, 17-second swell. This is the kind of session you wait for.
So, to call it: Your two true standouts are Friday morning, July 24th, for sheer power and size (13ft, 16-second period, clean) and Sunday morning, August 2nd, for cleaner, glassy, long-period groundswell (7ft, 17-second period, glassy). The long period on the 2nd will be best at the reef, just a heads up – it’ll be clean and lined up.
Remember, crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get there early for the good ones.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the W on Sun night, calm by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the WSW on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 9 | SW 9 | SE 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 9 | SW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
767 | 440 | 428 | 2275 | 1231 | 934 | 569 | 1289 | 2151 | 2422 | 1600 | 1209 | 1760 | 494 | 654 | 1171 | 7361 | 5841 | 3430 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:50AM1.60m | 7:21PM1.71m | 7:32AM1.48m | 8:06PM1.60m | 8:17AM1.36m | 8:57PM1.49m | 9:16AM1.26m | 10:03PM1.40m | 10:42AM1.20m | 11:25PM1.36m | 12:19PM1.22m | 00:43AM1.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:45AM0.46m | 12:49PM0.40m | 1:26AM0.56m | 1:27PM0.51m | 2:12AM0.68m | 2:09PM0.63m | 3:09AM0.77m | 3:03PM0.75m | 4:33AM0.83m | 4:28PM0.83m | 6:16AM0.81m | 6:17PM0.84m | |||||||
— | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
5:27 | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 12 | 15 | 17 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 9 | SW 9 | SE 10 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | ESE 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 14 |
767 | 440 | 428 | 463 | 522 | 514 | 569 | 1289 | 2151 | 2422 | 1600 | 1209 | 158 | 494 | 179 | 1171 | 7361 | 5841 | 3430 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SE 10 | SW 12 | SSE 9 | E 10 | SSW 12 | ESE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 12 | E 6 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | SSW 20 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 |
231 | 348 | 236 | 28 | 19 | 187 | 433 | 278 | 242 | 226 | 200 | 196 | 3 | 91 | 90 | 555 | 82 | 47 | 30 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | S 10 | E 10 | S 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | E 10 | — | — | — | E 4 | E 9 | S 8 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | — | — | — |
147 | 265 | 48 | 31 | 14 | 18 | 283 | 17 | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 35 | 22 | 59 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 9 | WSW 9 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | SW 12 | WSW 7 | SW 9 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 408 | 2275 | 1231 | 934 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1760 | 244 | 654 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 266 | 206 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 65 | 65 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Noordhoek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Noordhoek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Noordhoek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Noordhoek 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 (Noordhoek) 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 Noordhoek 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.
Noordhoek is 11 km (7 miles) from the city of Port Elizabeth. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape (South), look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










