Surf Forecasts:
St Mikes surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 18s period, SSW swell with 705 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 21 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s period with SE 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 Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 16s. 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 1.1m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 26) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Tue 21st Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for St Mikes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, the first session worth paddling out for is on Tuesday morning, July 21st at St Mikes. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal, about 73°F, which is nice. We’ve got a clean 5ft SE groundswell rolling in with a 12-second period, and the wind is glassy out of the ESE at just 3 mph. The wave energy is moderate (590), and the conditions are set up for good surf. This is the standout of the whole run – not huge, but clean, lined up, and begging for a long board or a fish. The swell is coming from the SW, which is exactly what this reef wants to see. Keep in mind, crowds are often here, so get there early.
After that, the picture gets messy. From Tuesday afternoon through the rest of the week, the wind turns cross-shore or cross-on, and the quality drops fast. There’s a period of pretty poor conditions from Wednesday the 22nd through to the end of July. The swell is still around, but the wind just ruins it. Thursday the 30th of July morning shows a bit of hope with another glassy moment – 3ft of SSW groundswell, 15-second period, light ESE wind – but it’s small and the energy is weak (381). Still, a clean 3ft wave on a reef is way more fun than a choppy 5ft one.
The first week of August brings a serious spike in size. On Sunday, August 2nd, we’re looking at a massive 13ft SSW swell, but the wind is cross-on and the conditions are sloppy. The wave energy is very strong (4341), but this is a messy, lumpy beast. It’s too big for beginners, and even for experienced surfers, the wind is a problem. The following days, Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th, keep the size up around 11ft to 8ft, with some improvement in wind on Tuesday afternoon when the breeze swings onshore light from the east at 6 mph, giving a cleaner 8ft wave. That Tuesday afternoon (August 4th) is the best bet in that big swell window – still a heavy wave, but with a chance of clean faces.
Overall, if you want a guaranteed clean wave, hit St Mikes on the morning of July 21st. The big stuff at the start of August is more for the brave or the kite crew, as the wind and chop make it a real battle.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the NE by Wed afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the NE by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | S 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | S 15 | SSW 15 | S 15 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 537 | 478 | 376 | 361 | 282 | 236 | 213 | 286 | 247 | 393 | 591 | 597 | 648 | 387 | 510 | 355 | 178 | 83 | 46 | 30 | 144 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross |
High Tide | 8:02AM1.24m | 8:39PM1.31m | 8:52AM1.12m | 9:39PM1.19m | 10:19AM1.03m | 11:17PM1.13m | 12:25PM1.03m | 00:56AM1.16m | 1:44PM1.12m | 1:58AM1.26m | 2:31PM1.24m | 2:40AM1.36m | 3:07PM1.36m | 3:14AM1.46m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:08PM0.46m | 2:55AM0.60m | 2:58PM0.59m | 4:08AM0.68m | 4:20PM0.69m | 5:59AM0.69m | 6:19PM0.70m | 7:28AM0.61m | 7:40PM0.61m | 8:19AM0.49m | 8:28PM0.51m | 8:55AM0.38m | 9:05PM0.40m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 18 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 23 | 19 |
Feels °C | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 | S 8 | SSE 8 | S 15 | SSW 15 | S 15 | S 13 | SSW 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 537 | 478 | 376 | 361 | 282 | 157 | 84 | 286 | 104 | 60 | 255 | 143 | 648 | 387 | 510 | 355 | 178 | 352 | 237 | 161 | 86 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | S 19 | SSE 7 | NE 4 | E 9 | SE 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 53 | 151 | 179 | 226 | 154 | 236 | 167 | 164 | 82 | 59 | 591 | 597 | 190 | 46 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 83 | 46 | 30 | 144 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 21 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SE 7 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SSW 13 | SE 11 |
| kJ | 15 | 15 | 6 | 7 | — | 65 | 213 | 57 | 21 | 44 | 43 | 30 | 25 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 24 | 9 | 18 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 4 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 4 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | S 8 | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | NE 4 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 8 | — | SSW 4 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 7 | 32 | 114 | 340 | 18 | 29 | 247 | 393 | — | — | 1 | 7 | 27 | 57 | 244 | 689 | — | 16 | 148 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 96 | 0 | 96 | 307 | 0 | 140 | 40 | 45 | 188 | 124 | 0 | 96 | 96 | 101 | 312 | 459 | 62 | 69 | 138 | 769 |
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.
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