Surf Forecasts:
Tubes surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 19s period, SSW swell with 13,056 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tubes this week:
The surf forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tubes in the next 16 days are 4.5m 19s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 9s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 19s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.
The first real surf shows on Tuesday morning, September 1st, at Tubes. It’s a reef and point set-up, and it’s looking clean with a 2.3m groundswell from the SW, period at 12 seconds. Water temp is 16°, which is a solid three degrees colder than normal – that’s a serious chill. Combined swell energy is 1488 (moderate to strong), and with glassy conditions and next to no wind (5 km/h from the SSE), the morning is going to be smooth and lined up. The swell direction matches the optimum SSW for this spot. That’s your standout of the whole outlook – clean, powerful, and well-timed.
Tuesday afternoon bumps to 2.5m but the wind goes light cross-shore from the ESE, so it’s not as pristine. Still good, but morning is the call.
Wednesday the 2nd keeps the run alive. 3.0m of SW groundswell at 13 seconds – that’s expert territory (over 2.5m). Combined energy is very strong at 3415, and with light cross-offshore wind from the SSE, the surf is clean and powerful. This is a real standout for experienced surfers.
Thursday the 3rd holds up. Morning brings 2.3m SW swell at 13 seconds with moderate rain, but cross-offshore wind from the SSE at 15 km/h keeps it clean. Combined energy at 2082 – still very solid.
Then it gets ugly. From Friday the 4th through the first week, strong cross and cross-onshore winds from the SE and ESE kick in, 25 to 35 km/h. The ocean turns lumpy, choppy, and messy. Even Sunday the 6th sees a massive 4.5m SSW groundswell with a very long 19-second period and combined energy of 13248 (very strong), but fresh onshore winds ruin it. That kind of power with bad wind is more for kite surfing than paddling. Stay out unless you want a beating.
The second week is mostly small and wind-affected. Monday the 7th through the middle of the month – mostly poor to marginal. A break on Monday the 14th: glassy conditions from the SSE in the morning with a tiny 0.7m WSW swell – barely surfable but smooth. The afternoon of the 14th offers 1.3m SW swell with light cross-offshore wind – clean but small. Combined energy is 663, moderate.
The real standout in the second week comes on Wednesday the 16th of September. Morning brings 1.6m of SW groundswell at 12 seconds, combined energy of 894 (moderate), and light cross-offshore wind from the S at only 5 km/h. Clean, with some push. That’s a good way to finish the forecast period. The afternoon holds at 1.4m but with a stronger cross-offshore from the WSW at 25 km/h, so the morning is the call.
Overall, the first three days – Tuesday the 1st morning, Wednesday the 2nd morning, and Thursday the 3rd morning – are your true standouts. After that, it’s a long, messy stretch until the 14th and 16th offer small but clean moments. Keep an eye on it.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu night, min 12°C on Tue morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, strong winds from the SSE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Fri morning, light winds from the NE by Sat morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 19 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1488 | 2077 | 4051 | 3415 | 2873 | 2235 | 1736 | 983 | 2753 | 921 | 497 | 319 | 439 | 487 | 380 | 3554 | 13056 | 4562 | 1831 | 1259 | 299 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:58PM1.65m | 6:14AM1.43m | 6:35PM1.52m | 6:53AM1.29m | 7:20PM1.36m | 7:49AM1.14m | 8:32PM1.19m | 9:45AM1.02m | 10:56PM1.12m | 12:16PM1.11m | 00:45AM1.23m | 1:25PM1.30m | 1:43AM1.38m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:41AM0.11m | 00:12AM0.19m | 12:15PM0.23m | 00:51AM0.32m | 12:56PM0.38m | 1:44AM0.48m | 1:55PM0.54m | 3:16AM0.61m | 4:00PM0.66m | 5:47AM0.59m | 6:28PM0.58m | 7:10AM0.43m | 7:38PM0.40m | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 12 | 5 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 22 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 9 | S 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 19 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | E 10 |
1488 | 2077 | 4051 | 3415 | 2873 | 2235 | 1736 | 702 | 347 | 572 | 165 | 207 | 439 | 487 | 380 | 3554 | 13056 | 4562 | 1831 | 1259 | 938 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | E 9 | — | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | S 22 | — | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SSW 12 |
64 | 48 | 29 | 27 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 13 | — | 218 | 273 | 163 | 97 | 101 | 57 | 941 | — | 54 | 121 | 118 | 299 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 9 | — | SE 11 | SSW 9 | S 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | WSW 10 | — | — | — | WSW 13 | SSE 11 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 25 | — | 31 | 180 | 146 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | — | — | — | 114 | 217 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | E 7 | ESE 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | 346 | 983 | 2753 | 921 | 497 | 319 | 181 | 140 | 107 | 31 | 192 | 467 | 804 | 1059 | 1519 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 481 | 1604 | 3303 | 198 | 183 | 198 | 198 | 198 | 560 | 180 | 172 | 180 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tubes Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tubes provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tubes can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tubes 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 (Tubes) 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 Tubes 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.
Tubes is 19 km (12 miles) from the city of Kruisfontein. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape (South), look for hotels and other accommodation in Kruisfontein. Kruisfontein has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











