Surf Forecasts:
The Spot surf forecast from 14 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period, E swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 16 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, E swell with 606 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 10s period with E swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Spot this week:
The surf forecast for The Spot over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Spot in the next 16 days are 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 16) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 11s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 16th Aug) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Spot over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at the outlook for The Spot. It’s a beach and reef setup, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so we need to be patient.
The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.
The run starts on Friday the 14th of August, and honestly, it’s a rough start. The Spot is getting hammered by onshore wind from the NE, making a mess of the 4ft easterly swell. The combined energy is moderate (444), but with that wind, it’s a write-off. That onshore breeze sticks around through Saturday and Sunday, so we’re looking at a few days of poor conditions. A real bummer to kick things off.
Things start to look a little less grim on Monday the 17th of August. The wind swings to the SSW, giving us a cross-offshore breeze, and the wave height touches 5ft from the east. The energy is still moderate (399), but the wind is clean. It’s only a marginal call, but it’s the first sign of life.
Tuesday the 18th of August is actually the pick of this first week. The morning sees a light SSE breeze, cross-off, and a clean 4ft easterly swell with a 9-second period. The combined energy is 250, which is moderate, but it’s clean and surfable. The afternoon is a bit more ordinary, but the morning session is your best bet.
We then hit another dry spell. Wednesday and Thursday are mostly poor, with onshore winds and small waves. Friday the 21st of August has a little ju-ju with a 3ft SSW swell and a 15-second period, giving it some long-period grunt (energy of 339), but it’s only marginal. The Spot is a beach and reef, and that long period can make a beach break a bit straight, so keep that in mind.
There’s a big shift for Sunday the 23rd of August. The morning sees a 8ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period. The combined energy is a massive 2977, which is very strong. But the wind is a cross-onshore from the ENE, making it choppy. It’s a marginal call, and at 8ft, this is expert territory. The afternoon is even bigger but with onshore wind, so it’s not for the faint-hearted.
The following week is a tale of decent swell but poor wind. Monday the 24th has a 5ft SSW swell (energy 1133), Tuesday the 25th has a 4ft SSW swell, but every day is dominated by NE onshore winds. It’s frustrating – the swell is there, but the wind is killing it. The energy numbers are moderate to strong, but the quality is poor.
The very end of the run, on Saturday the 29th of August, finally gives us a clean moment. The wind goes light offshore from the SSW, with a small 1ft swell. It’s tiny, just 1ft, and the energy is a weak 56, but it’s clean. A wave for the longboard or a foiler, but at least you’re not getting blown off the water.
So, the standout? If you have to pick one, make it the morning of Tuesday the 18th of August. That’s the cleanest, most consistent wave of the near-term. The big swell on Sunday the 23rd is for experts only, and it’s a gamble with the wind. After that, it’s a waiting game for the wind to play nice.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Fri morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 14 | E 11 | NE 5 | S 11 | NNE 6 | SW 16 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
279 | 284 | 449 | 452 | 15 | 584 | 74 | 9 | 126 | 10 | 384 | 313 | 207 | 160 | 122 | 94 | 92 | 259 | 207 | 178 | 163 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | on | on | off | cross-off | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:00PM1.90m | 5:09AM1.76m | 5:32PM1.87m | 5:40AM1.70m | 6:02PM1.79m | 6:09AM1.60m | 6:30PM1.66m | 6:36AM1.48m | 6:58PM1.51m | 7:04AM1.34m | 7:27PM1.35m | 7:34AM1.19m | 8:02PM1.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:43AM-0.06m | 11:06PM0.05m | 11:14AM-0.04m | 11:38PM0.10m | 11:44AM0.03m | 00:08AM0.18m | 12:13PM0.14m | 00:37AM0.30m | 12:41PM0.28m | 1:06AM0.42m | 1:10PM0.43m | 1:38AM0.56m | 1:43PM0.59m | 2:25AM0.71m | |||||||
6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:34 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 14 | E 11 | E 11 | S 11 | ENE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 |
279 | 284 | 449 | 452 | 15 | 584 | 617 | 9 | 692 | 530 | 384 | 313 | 207 | 160 | 122 | 94 | 69 | 90 | 207 | 178 | 163 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SW 14 | S 12 | S 11 | S 12 | S 10 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 3 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | S 4 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | E 8 | — | SSW 15 |
37 | 51 | 22 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 | 26 | 6 | 54 | 92 | 259 | 60 | — | 121 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 14 | S 9 | SW 13 | S 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 8 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — |
120 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 30 | 9 | 22 | 13 | 44 | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 10 | E 10 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 11 | NNE 6 | ENE 10 | — | SW 4 | SSW 2 | S 4 | — | NE 2 | ENE 4 | — | NE 5 | ENE 4 | ENE 6 |
8 | 44 | 59 | 610 | 520 | 48 | 74 | 823 | 126 | 663 | — | 2 | 1 | 10 | — | 1 | 15 | — | 10 | 43 | 136 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 51 | 650 | 17 | 51 | 51 | 17 | 51 | 423 | 54 | 51 | 52 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 51 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 27 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Spot Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Spot provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Spot can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Spot 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 (The Spot) 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 The Spot 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.
The Spot is 2 km (1 miles) from Scottburgh. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Scottburgh. Scottburgh has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











