Surf Forecasts:
Rock Wave surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 17s period, S swell with 9,197 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period with E 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Rock Wave in the next 16 days are 4.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 10s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Rock Wave over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, checking in on the Rock Wave. It's a reef setup, exposed to the south swell, and it's fairly consistent when things line up. Right now, the water's sitting at 65°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don't forget a decent spring suit.
We've got a bit of a slow start here. The immediate outlook is pretty grim. For the first few days, the wind is a mess and the swell is all over the place. Sunday afternoon is a write-off with a messy cross-shore on a weak 5ft swell. The next few days are just small, onshore, and choppy with poor energy levels (252 to 379). You're basically looking at a frustrating gap of about 4-5 days of nothing to get excited about.
Then things start to get interesting. The real standout is the morning of Monday, September 11th. The forecast is showing glassy conditions with a light, clean 6ft swell from the ESE. The energy is moderate (838) and it's a solid 12-second period. This is the pick of the entire forecast. It's promising, but it's over a week out, so keep an eye on it.
Before that, we have a promising window on Wednesday, September 6th. The morning shows a solid 13ft groundswell from the south with a very long 17-second period. The energy is massive (9249), but it's a bit of a beast. The wind is a clean cross-offshore, but at 13ft and a long period, this is a serious wave. It's going to be big, powerful, and best left for experts as it's likely to close out the beach breaks. A reef break like Rock Wave might handle it, but it'll be a heavy, critical wave. The afternoon, however, gets messy with a strong cross-shore.
Also keep an eye on Wednesday morning, September 9th. An 8ft swell from the ESE with a 14-second period and some decent energy (2582). The wind is light onshore, but the quality is solid.
The rest of the second week is a mixed bag of onshore winds and building swell, but nothing as clean as that Monday morning on the 11th. Conditions look messy and onshore for the most part, with a lot of "poor" or "marginal" ratings.
So, for the savvy surfer, the morning of Monday, September 11th is your target. The morning of Wednesday, September 6th is for the big-wave crew. Keep your fingers crossed for the long-range call.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Fri afternoon). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 377 | 239 | 154 | 145 | 117 | 145 | 294 | 624 | 1367 | 1059 | 461 | 303 | 205 | 2281 | 5558 | 4082 | 2284 | 1052 | 571 | 198 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | cross |
High Tide | 5:01PM1.74m | 5:11AM1.59m | 5:30PM1.71m | 5:41AM1.52m | 6:01PM1.63m | 6:14AM1.42m | 6:36PM1.50m | 6:51AM1.28m | 7:18PM1.34m | 7:41AM1.12m | 8:23PM1.17m | 9:25AM0.99m | 10:48PM1.07m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:10PM0.05m | 11:14AM0.01m | 11:40PM0.09m | 11:44AM0.08m | 00:13AM0.18m | 12:17PM0.19m | 00:51AM0.31m | 12:55PM0.34m | 1:39AM0.46m | 1:48PM0.51m | 3:01AM0.60m | 3:41PM0.65m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | | | | |  | | |  | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — |
mm | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 29 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 28 | 19 | 18 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | S 15 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 |
| kJ | 243 | 239 | 154 | 145 | 117 | 90 | 294 | 624 | 1367 | 1059 | 461 | 303 | 205 | 128 | 104 | 41 | 38 | 1052 | 571 | 175 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | S 7 | S 7 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | — | — | NE 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 |
| kJ | 150 | 173 | 87 | 39 | 24 | 145 | 81 | 57 | 51 | 38 | 49 | 77 | 82 | — | — | 90 | 71 | 43 | 194 | 108 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SW 12 | SW 11 | S 6 | S 11 | — | ENE 8 | — | E 9 | E 8 | S 11 | — | — | — | — | S 14 | S 15 | S 16 |
| kJ | 16 | 24 | 11 | 35 | 31 | 7 | 2 | — | 73 | — | 39 | 51 | 114 | — | — | — | — | 60 | 17 | 198 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 9 | — | — | — | ENE 4 | — | SSW 3 | — | — | ESE 4 | ENE 6 | SW 3 | SSW 6 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 377 | — | — | — | 4 | — | 2 | — | — | 16 | 127 | 6 | 131 | 2281 | 5558 | 4082 | 2284 | 238 | 334 | 104 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 169 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 103 | 328 | 75 | 0 | 31 | 169 | 216 | 510 | 292 | 436 | 269 | 1 |
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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