Surf Forecasts:
Pulpit surf forecast from 18 Oct 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 22 Oct, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 19 Oct, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, SSW swell with 3,905 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 18 Oct, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 9s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Pulpit this week:
The surf forecast for Pulpit over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Oct 18) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Pulpit in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Oct 19) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Oct 24) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 18th Oct) | 3ft (0.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 22nd Oct) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 19th Oct) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Pulpit over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the SSW by Mon afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 18 | Monday 19 | Tuesday 20 | Wednesday 21 | Thursday 22 | Friday 23 | Saturday 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 | ENE 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 6 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 6 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 140 | 106 | 163 | 508 | 3905 | 2973 | 696 | 464 | 273 | 146 | 116 | 232 | 283 | 206 | 104 | 677 | 554 | 986 | 833 | 464 | 154 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:27PM1.08m | 9:44AM1.02m | 10:55PM1.02m | 12:18PM1.15m | 00:32AM1.15m | 1:03PM1.32m | 1:15AM1.31m | 1:35PM1.50m | 1:49AM1.46m | 2:05PM1.67m | 2:21AM1.59m | 2:35PM1.80m | 2:52AM1.69m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:19PM0.76m | 2:23AM0.75m | 4:16PM0.85m | 5:28AM0.73m | 6:32PM0.72m | 6:38AM0.59m | 7:14PM0.55m | 7:16AM0.44m | 7:46PM0.38m | 7:49AM0.30m | 8:17PM0.22m | 8:20AM0.17m | 8:47PM0.09m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  | |  | |  | | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | 5:15 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:11 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — | 5:09 | — | — |
 | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | 9 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | 2 | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 23 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 10 |
| kJ | 59 | 106 | 150 | 135 | 56 | 1969 | 696 | 464 | 273 | 146 | 116 | 222 | 283 | 206 | 42 | 31 | 32 | 986 | 833 | 464 | 154 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | SSE 6 | SSW 14 | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | SSW 14 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 10 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 9 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 135 | 34 | 163 | — | — | 38 | 40 | 25 | 23 | 61 | 26 | 232 | 134 | 73 | 62 | 13 | 14 | 31 | 41 | 29 | 50 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 6 | — | — | NE 8 | NE 7 | ESE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | — | — | SE 10 |
| kJ | 140 | 80 | 19 | — | — | 17 | 2 | 5 | 23 | 22 | 33 | 22 | 41 | 38 | 22 | 2 | 2 | 13 | — | — | 35 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 5 | SSW 6 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | — | ENE 8 | NNE 5 | SSW 3 | S 6 | — | NE 5 | — | S 6 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | — | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 71 | 508 | 3905 | 2973 | — | 6 | 80 | 3 | 69 | — | 4 | — | 104 | 677 | 554 | — | 23 | 124 | 255 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 28 | 28 | 137 | 185 | 835 | 17 | 30 | 28 | 188 | 185 | 240 | 0 | 28 | 207 | 17 | 23 | 1188 | 23 | 28 | 867 | 223 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Pulpit 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 Pulpit Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Pulpit provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Pulpit can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Pulpit 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 (Pulpit) 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 Pulpit 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.
Pulpit is 12 km (7 miles) from Umlazi. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Umlazi. Umlazi has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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