
Surf Forecasts:
Tubes surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 26ft (8.0m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 26ft (8.0m), 16s period, SW swell with 31,483 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 12s period with ESE 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tubes in the next 16 days are 8.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 12s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 26ft (8.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 26ft (8.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s get stuck into this one. We’ve got a real slow cooker of a forecast for Tubes. The water’s sitting at about 63°F, which is a touch cooler than normal for this time, but nothing to complain about. The real story is the waiting game. There’s a big gap of quiet, messy conditions before something truly special lines up.
The first few days are pretty average and all over the shop. Sunday the 2nd kicks off with a small 3ft SW swell with good 13-second period, but it’s onshore and the energy’s weak (302). Not worth rushing for. Monday the 3rd shows a brief window of hope – early morning glassy conditions but only 6ft of fussy ESE windswell. It gets messy in the afternoon. Then we drift into a lull of poor and marginal stuff right through to Wednesday the 5th. There’s no staying power in any of that.
Thursday the 6th is where things start to wake up. The morning brings a solid 12ft SW groundswell with a period of 13 seconds, pushing moderate-to-strong energy (4228). It’s big – right at that expert-only threshold – and the wind is clean. This is a proper session for the experienced crew. The afternoon stays on with a 10ft SW swell and offshore wind, still excellent but heavy. Straight after that, though, Friday the 7th gets clobbered by strong onshores, and Saturday the 8th is just plain dangerous – a 25ft SW juggernaut with near-gale winds, energy off the charts (19942). That’s full-on survival, not surfing.
Now, Sunday the 9th is the one. Mark it. A massive 23ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, light NW winds and glassy conditions. The combined swell energy is 24646 – that’s exceptional power. This is the standout, no question. It’s only for experts, but if you’ve got the nerve, this is as clean and heavy as it gets at Tubes. Tides and timing will be everything. The afternoon goes lumpy again, but that morning window is gold.
After that, the surf settles back into a more manageable rhythm. The energy drops through the following week with a few clean windows – Wednesday the 12th morning has 6ft SSW groundswell and glassy conditions, and Thursday the 13th afternoon sees 5ft SW and offshore winds. Nothing massive, but clean and rideable for intermediates.
Don’t sleep on the very end – Sunday the 16th morning brings 8ft SW groundswell, 16-second period, clean and crisp with that long-period energy. It’s a bit straight for a beach break at that period, but Tubes handles it well. Only for the experienced, but it’s a worthy finisher.
Bottom line: the best of this outlook is Sunday the 9th, hands down. That is the one you plan around. Everything else is either building towards it or settling down after.
Stay safe out there.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 22°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed morning, fresh winds from the WSW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | ESE 10 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
286 | 1294 | 1008 | 813 | 643 | 599 | 570 | 418 | 349 | 301 | 1087 | 1647 | 4228 | 3113 | 1954 | 3619 | 3025 | 2103 | 4179 | 19942 | 28379 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | off | cross | cross-off | off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:57PM1.64m | 6:05AM1.48m | 6:29PM1.60m | 6:40AM1.39m | 7:06PM1.52m | 7:22AM1.28m | 7:53PM1.41m | 8:17AM1.16m | 8:59PM1.29m | 9:50AM1.06m | 10:46PM1.22m | 11:59AM1.09m | 00:33AM1.28m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:40AM0.09m | 00:07AM0.21m | 12:10PM0.15m | 00:42AM0.27m | 12:44PM0.24m | 1:24AM0.35m | 1:25PM0.35m | 2:18AM0.45m | 2:21PM0.48m | 3:39AM0.54m | 3:54PM0.59m | 5:36AM0.55m | 6:00PM0.57m | ||||||||
7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | |
— | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 19 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 17 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | E 8 | E 9 | E 10 |
522 | 1294 | 1008 | 813 | 622 | 566 | 459 | 342 | 349 | 326 | 1087 | 1647 | 4228 | 3113 | 1954 | 3619 | 3025 | 2103 | 84 | 25 | 54 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | E 10 | SW 7 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 16 | E 9 | — | E 6 | — | — | — |
286 | 386 | 287 | 361 | 643 | 599 | 570 | 418 | 303 | 220 | 220 | 211 | 88 | 90 | 981 | 62 | — | 66 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | S 13 | — | S 12 | S 18 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | WSW 10 | E 10 | — | SSW 19 | E 10 | — | — | E 9 | — | — | — |
16 | 15 | 283 | 290 | 3 | — | 3 | 6 | 99 | 301 | 20 | 148 | — | 146 | 66 | — | — | 42 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 3 | E 6 | — | — | W 3 | — | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | — | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 16 |
— | — | — | — | 3 | 71 | — | — | 3 | — | 256 | — | — | — | — | — | 145 | — | 4179 | 19942 | 28379 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 143 | 0 | 696 | 893 | 256 |
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.











