
Surf Forecasts:
St Mikes surf forecast from 11 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SE swell with 904 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 11s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for St Mikes this week:
The surf forecast for St Mikes over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at St Mikes in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 9s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for St Mikes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, folks. Rusty here with a look at what’s comin’ down the pipe.
Well, gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch is a lean one. St Mikes is the only break on the cards, and for the majority of the run, it’s just not gonna be worth paddling out. We’re looking at a whole lotta nothing for most of the first week, with scores of zero across the board due to poor conditions. The water temp is sittin' around 71°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, nothin' unusual there.
Tuesday the 11th kicks off with a cross-shore S wind at 19 mph and a messy 6 ft SSE swell, combined energy of 678 (moderate). That's a write-off. Wednesday the 12th shows some clean offshore wind from the ESE, but the swell drops right off to 1 ft by the afternoon. Thursday the 13th has a tiny 2 ft swell, not worth the effort. From Friday the 14th through to Tuesday the 18th of August, it’s all tiny, wind-affected junk – period down to 4 seconds at times with mixed cross-shore winds. That's a long, bleak gap of about 8 days with no real hope.
We get a tiny flicker on Wednesday the 19th of August morning. A clean, cross-offshore breeze from the SW at 9 mph meets a 3 ft SSW groundswell with a period of 14 seconds. The combined energy is a strong 393. That long period means better shape, but it’s still only marginal due to questionable tide conditions. If you’re desperate and can time the tide, it’s your one chance this week, but keep your expectations low.
Then we hit a spike of bigger energy, but it’s completely ruined. Thursday the 20th of August sees a strong cross-onshore wind and an 8 ft to 12 ft SSW swell, with combined energy shooting up to 2410 (very strong). That’s powerful, but with that wind it’s just a lumpy, dangerous mess. Not for the inexperienced, and even the experts will be battling.
For the rest of the outlook into the final days of August, it’s back to small, wind-affected slop. Strong breezes and near gale force cross-shore winds dominate, with swells rarely getting over 3 ft. A small 5 ft SSW pulse appears on Wednesday the 26th, but it’s slapped by an 19 mph cross-shore wind. Honestly, this whole window is a write-off for a decent surf.
If you’ve got a kite, the strong, messy cross-shore winds on the bigger days (like August 20th and 22nd) might look more interesting than a paddle surf. As for the waves, there's just nothing here to get excited about. Forecasts can change, but as it stands, this is a typical blank run for the area.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 25mm), heaviest during Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Tue morning, calm by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Fri afternoon, light winds from the W 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) | SSE 8 | S 11 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
455 | 381 | 434 | 380 | 49 | 66 | 75 | 68 | 210 | 59 | 25 | 35 | 45 | 23 | 41 | 34 | 29 | 71 | 41 | 31 | 32 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 3:11PM1.60m | 3:25AM1.66m | 3:50PM1.74m | 4:02AM1.73m | 4:26PM1.84m | 4:37AM1.75m | 5:00PM1.87m | 5:09AM1.72m | 5:32PM1.83m | 5:40AM1.66m | 6:02PM1.75m | 6:09AM1.56m | 6:31PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:57AM0.19m | 9:17PM0.18m | 9:35AM0.06m | 9:57PM0.09m | 10:10AM-0.03m | 10:33PM0.04m | 10:43AM-0.06m | 11:07PM0.05m | 11:14AM-0.04m | 11:39PM0.10m | 11:44AM0.03m | 00:09AM0.18m | 12:13PM0.14m | 00:38AM0.29m | |||||||
6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | |
— | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | |
mm | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 9 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SE 8 | S 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
188 | 244 | 434 | 641 | 861 | 562 | 379 | 299 | 229 | 333 | 342 | 840 | 952 | 785 | 906 | 771 | 661 | 651 | 512 | 379 | 354 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 11 | SE 8 | S 9 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 8 | S 7 | S 9 | SW 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 15 | — |
158 | 381 | 319 | 380 | 49 | 66 | 75 | 68 | 36 | 28 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 9 | SSW 14 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 11 | S 14 | S 8 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | — |
65 | 262 | 327 | 30 | 39 | 18 | 31 | 57 | 210 | 59 | 25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | — | SE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 2 | ENE 4 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 |
455 | — | 433 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 21 | 35 | 45 | 23 | 41 | 34 | 29 | 71 | 41 | 31 | 32 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 821 | 1166 | 821 | 821 | 98 | 0 | 9 | 70 | 0 | 69 | 96 | 62 | 96 | 96 | 62 | 96 | 96 | 0 | 96 | 96 | 101 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the St Mikes Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for St Mikes provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at St Mikes can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our St Mikes 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 (St Mikes) 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 St Mikes 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.
St Mikes is 17 km (11 miles) from Port Shepstone. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Shepstone. Port Shepstone has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











