Surf Forecasts:
Rock Wave surf forecast from 25 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 25 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 18s period, SSW swell with 961 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Rock Wave this week:
The surf forecast for Rock Wave over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 25) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rock Wave in the next 16 days are 1.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 7s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 01) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 25th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rock Wave over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright mates, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat about what Rock Wave is serving up. It’s a slow start, I won’t lie. The first week is full of average swells getting chopped up by the wind. The real gold is hiding in the second week, with a big jump in size and a whole lot cleaner conditions.
Water temp is 67°, right about what you’d expect for this time of year. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Kicking off on July 25th and 26th, there’s not much to write home about. A 4ft swell from the SSW on Saturday afternoon is clean enough with light wind, but it’s only moderate energy. Sunday gets a little bigger, 5ft, but the wind is cross-shore and it gets a bit choppy. Not worth rushing out.
Monday the 27th is a mess. The wind howls from the SW at 19 mph, and the swell is a short, choppy 7-second period. That 5ft afternoon swell is just blown-out junk. Perfect for a kite, but not for a paddle.
Tuesday the 28th brings some size, 8ft from the SSE, and the energy is strong, but the period is a short 8 seconds. Mixed with onshore light rain, it’s going to be a bumpy, closed-out affair. Not the good kind of big.
Wednesday the 29th through to Friday the 31st is a bit of a lull. Swell heights are between 3ft and 6ft, but the wind stays mostly cross-shore or onshore, keeping the surface messy.
The weekend of August 1st and 2nd is a total washout. The wind is cranking from the NE at 19-22 mph, and the swell is 6ft to 8ft, but it’s just a howling, lumpy disaster. Stay home.
Now, here’s the good stuff.
Monday August 3rd has a solid 8ft swell from the east, but the short 8-second period and strong cross-wind spoil it. It’s powerful but ugly.
The one to circle is Tuesday, August 4th. That’s the real deal. The swell is a solid 7ft in the morning, pumping up to 8ft in the afternoon from the ESE. The period jumps to a long 12-13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. Wave energy is a massive 3403 in the afternoon. The wind is light from the NE, just a slight cross-shore breeze. This is big, clean, and powerful. At 8ft, you better know what you’re doing. This is strictly for the experienced crew.
Wednesday August 5th is a nice follow-up. Swell drops to 7ft, but still with a long 11-12 second period and light winds. Clean and solid.
Things ease off after that. Friday August 7th morning is a lovely little window. Only 4ft from the east, but the wind is glassy. Perfect for a log or a fun shape. Saturday August 8th offers a clean 5ft from the SW with a nice cross-off breeze, a great way to finish the outlook.
So here it is: the first week is a write-off. The big standout is Tuesday, August 4th – a proper big, clean groundswell for the experts. Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are your best bets for cleaner, smaller waves.
Patience, my friends. It’ll pay off.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Mon night. Warm (max 23°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 18 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | ESE 7 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 485 | 713 | 540 | 313 | 449 | 222 | 210 | 961 | 669 | 468 | 514 | 378 | 344 | 388 | 388 | 495 | 285 | 334 | 205 | 184 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:55AM1.20m | 2:31PM1.18m | 2:37AM1.30m | 3:06PM1.29m | 3:11AM1.39m | 3:37PM1.39m | 3:42AM1.46m | 4:07PM1.48m | 4:11AM1.52m | 4:35PM1.55m | 4:39AM1.54m | 5:03PM1.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:40PM0.58m | 8:19AM0.45m | 8:27PM0.49m | 8:55AM0.35m | 9:04PM0.39m | 9:25AM0.25m | 9:36PM0.31m | 9:54AM0.16m | 10:07PM0.24m | 10:21AM0.10m | 10:36PM0.20m | 10:48AM0.06m | 11:06PM0.17m | |||||||
 |  | | | | |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | |  | | |
 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — |
 | 5:24 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 14 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | E 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | ESE 9 | E 9 | SSW 13 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 |
| kJ | 251 | 713 | 540 | 313 | 106 | 222 | 198 | 961 | 546 | 468 | 514 | 378 | 312 | 388 | 388 | 187 | 264 | 334 | 205 | 184 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SE 9 | SE 9 | S 16 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | SSW 16 | ENE 9 | E 9 | SSW 15 | S 12 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | ESE 6 |
| kJ | 485 | 159 | 77 | 251 | 449 | 62 | 206 | 25 | 14 | 456 | 11 | 61 | 83 | 253 | 184 | 14 | 285 | 213 | 133 | 43 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | — | SE 11 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSW 16 | E 8 | — | — | E 9 | — | S 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 7 | — | — | S 7 |
| kJ | 106 | — | 30 | 36 | 12 | 53 | 33 | — | — | 14 | — | 10 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 14 | 4 | — | — | 28 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 4 | ENE 5 | — | SW 6 | SSW 7 | S 8 | SSE 8 | — | SE 8 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | NE 4 | NE 4 | E 9 | E 6 | — | E 4 | NE 4 |
| kJ | — | — | 7 | 42 | — | 111 | 210 | 216 | 669 | — | 373 | 340 | 344 | 26 | 20 | 495 | 122 | — | 29 | 34 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 13 | 0 | 40 | 269 | 0 | 200 | 259 | 108 | 510 | 108 | 156 | 156 | 169 | 1 | 4 | 259 | 0 | 103 | 384 | 156 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Rock Wave Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Rock Wave provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Rock Wave can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Rock Wave 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 (Rock Wave) 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 Rock Wave 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 Rock Wave, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, consider staying in East London which is 25 km (16 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 60 km (37 miles) away, Stutterheim and Bisho.
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