Surf Forecasts:
Periwinkles surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, ENE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 12s period, ENE swell with 1,471 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 7s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Periwinkles this week:
The surf forecast for Periwinkles over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 15) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Periwinkles in the next 16 days are 2.3m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 13s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Periwinkles over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checking in with the outlook for Periwinkles. Gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next two weeks, but there are a couple of windows where it could be worth the paddle out.
Right from the start of the forecast, Tuesday the 11th and Wednesday the 12th are a write-off. Onshore winds are ruining everything, smashing up a sizeable swell with a lot of energy but making it a total washing machine out there. Poor conditions for a paddle. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are similar, with strong cross-shore winds and lumpy, messy surf. Not our time.
Saturday the 15th looks like a tease. There’s some clean, longer-period swell (11-12 seconds) building with moderate to strong wave energy, but it’s still got a cross-shore wind. The conditions are just marginal.
The first real standout comes on Sunday the 16th of August. A solid 7ft swell from the east-northeast with a decent 11-second period, and the morning is looking clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-northeast at just 6 mph. There’s a lot of power and shape for experienced surfers. The water temp is sitting at a pretty average 67° for this time of year, nothing unusual. Crowds can be a thing here at Periwinkles, so keep that in mind if you want a peak to yourself.
The conditions drop back off after that until we hit another promising window. Thursday the 20th of August looks excellent. We’re looking at a building swell – 10ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon – from the south-southwest. The wind turns light and cross-offshore, keeping the surfaces clean. This is big, powerful stuff for experts only.
The following Saturday the 21st through Monday the 24th get messy again with strong cross-winds. Honorable mention goes to Sunday the 23rd of August – it’s not huge, only 4ft from the east-northeast, but the morning will be glassy with absolutely no wind. That could give a clean, fun little session for a shortboard. It won’t be powerful, but sometimes glassy is all you need.
So to sum it up: Don't bother until this weekend. The two standout sessions are the morning of Sunday the 16th for experienced crew on a solid east-northeast swell in clean conditions, and Thursday the 20th for the big South swell. The glassy window on Sunday the 23rd is a sleeper pick for a fun, clean surf.
Stay safe out there.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Fri afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 9 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | E 11 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1206 | 769 | 949 | 347 | 417 | 463 | 377 | 723 | 395 | 316 | 444 | 365 | 363 | 1280 | 1372 | 1152 | 1126 | 846 | 498 | 394 | 395 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:10PM1.53m | 3:23AM1.58m | 3:49PM1.66m | 4:01AM1.63m | 4:25PM1.74m | 4:36AM1.64m | 4:59PM1.76m | 5:09AM1.61m | 5:32PM1.73m | 5:40AM1.54m | 6:02PM1.64m | 6:10AM1.45m | 6:31PM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:56AM0.16m | 9:17PM0.17m | 9:35AM0.04m | 9:57PM0.08m | 10:10AM-0.03m | 10:34PM0.04m | 10:42AM-0.05m | 11:08PM0.05m | 11:14AM-0.03m | 11:40PM0.10m | 11:43AM0.05m | 00:10AM0.18m | 12:12PM0.15m | 00:40AM0.29m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — |
mm | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 29 | 30 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 24 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 26 | 27 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | E 11 | E 11 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | SW 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 9 |
| kJ | 517 | 769 | 304 | 330 | 208 | 463 | 377 | 723 | 395 | 173 | 121 | 91 | 363 | 993 | 1005 | 894 | 23 | 846 | 498 | 394 | 395 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 9 | S 26 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SE 8 | SSW 22 | SW 16 | S 9 | ENE 11 | S 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 11 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 1206 | 372 | 13 | 160 | 183 | 77 | 263 | 124 | 7 | 41 | 2 | 60 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 24 | 2 | 10 | 34 | 32 | 40 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | — | S 11 | SSW 22 | SSW 19 | S 10 | S 10 | S 12 | S 9 | S 11 | S 8 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | — | S 10 | SSW 4 | SW 4 | — |
| kJ | 69 | 68 | — | 37 | 181 | 322 | 47 | 30 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 10 | — | 2 | 2 | 2 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | — | E 9 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | WSW 11 | — | — | SW 13 |
| kJ | 347 | 300 | 949 | 347 | 417 | — | 326 | 220 | 311 | 316 | 444 | 365 | 214 | 1280 | 1372 | 1152 | 1126 | 12 | — | — | 199 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 541 | 901 | 541 | 541 | 403 | 20 | 316 | 375 | 183 | 302 | 302 | 0 | 30 | 74 | 0 | 0 | 290 | 0 | 70 | 325 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Periwinkles Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Periwinkles provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Periwinkles can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Periwinkles 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 (Periwinkles) 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 Periwinkles 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.
Periwinkles is 44 km (27 miles) from the city of Butterworth. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Butterworth. Butterworth has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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