Tubes Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.02° S 24.93° E

Tubes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 27 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Tubes sea temperature is
15.3°C
3.5° 

Tubes surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Tubes surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 2 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 16,712 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 28 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s period with S 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 Friday (Aug 28) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Tubes in the next 16 days are 5.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 9s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Fri 28th Aug)5ft (1.6m) 12s
Best Surf11PM (Wed 2nd Sep)18ft (5.5m) 16s
Most Powerful 8PM (Wed 2nd Sep)18ft (5.5m) 16s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and look at what Tubes (Big Island) has on offer over the next couple of weeks. It’s a reef and point set-up, sheltered from the open ocean, and it’s looking for that south-southwest swell. We’ve got a slow start, but there’s a serious pulse coming through that’ll get the heart rate up, especially for those who know what they’re doing.

The first few days are pretty quiet. Thursday the 27th sees some small, short-period swell around 7.2ft, but the conditions are marginal – light onshore and cross winds, with a dodgy tide. Not worth paddling out for. Friday the 28th drops off in size to just over 3.5ft, but the wind goes offshore in the morning. It’s clean, but small. You might get a few fun ones if you’re desperate, but it’s not the day to call in sick for.

Saturday the 29th is a bit of a tease. The swell builds slightly to 5ft by the afternoon, and the wind is fresh offshore, but the tide is questionable and the period is a bit short. It’s clean, but the energy isn't quite there. Sunday the 30th is where it starts to wake up. We see 7.5ft in the morning with a cross-offshore breeze, and then the afternoon turns on with a 6.9ft SW swell, offshore wind, and a better period of 9 seconds. That’s the first real window.

Monday the 31st is solid. The morning brings 6.9ft of SW groundswell with a 12-second period and gentle offshore wind. Clean, consistent, and proper. The afternoon eases a bit to 5.2ft, but it’s still good. Tuesday the 1st of September is another strong one – 7.9ft in the morning with offshore wind and a long 11-second period. The afternoon pushes to 8.2ft, but the wind swings cross-offshore and it gets a bit more challenging. Still, the first half of the day is a standout.

Now, here’s where it gets serious. Wednesday the 2nd of September is the one. The morning sees a jump to a solid 14.8ft of SW groundswell with a very long 15-second period and light offshore winds. This is a big, powerful groundswell – the energy reading is a massive 9054. This is expert territory only. The water temperature is 59.5°, which is 6.3° colder than normal for this time of year, so that’s a big anomaly – you’ll need a thick suit and a hood. This is the standout of the entire forecast. The afternoon holds at 13.1ft with a cross-offshore breeze, still excellent for those who can handle it. This is big, raw, and pushing hard.

After that, the wheels come off. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th bring heavy rain and strong southerly winds, with the swell bouncing around 8.2ft to 14.8ft, but it’s messy and wind-affected. Not worth it. Saturday the 5th is a write-off – strong cross-onshore winds and 13.1ft of lumpy, choppy slop. Forget it.

Sunday the 6th of September has a bizarre one-off. The morning is glassy with a huge 16.4ft ESE swell, but the wind is completely offshore and the period is 11 seconds. The energy is off the charts at 10990, and it’s glassy. But this is a beast – only for the boldest experts, and even then, it might be too much. The afternoon goes back to onshore and choppy, so that window is small.

After that, it drops right off. The second week is a letdown. The 7th and 8th are small and onshore, with poor conditions. Wednesday the 9th sees a tiny 3ft SW groundswell with offshore winds in the morning – clean but ankle-biters. Thursday the 10th has some short-period junk and Friday the 11th brings a modest 5.9ft SW swell with light offshore winds. It’s rideable, but nothing to get excited about compared to that Wednesday.

So, bottom line: don’t sleep on the 31st of August and the morning of the 1st of September – those are the best of the early run. But if you’re chasing the real deal, Wednesday the 2nd is the day. That’s a proper groundswell, clean and powerful, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The 6th has a freak glassy dawn patrol too, but it’s huge. Everything else is either small, windy, or a combination of both.

Stay safe out there.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Sat night). Mainly fresh winds.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds.

Thu
27
Friday
28
Saturday
29
Sunday
30
Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
1
1
0
0
3
2
3
2
2
2
2
3
2
2
6
6
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.9
SSW
12
1.6
S
12
1.1
S
11
1.2
S
11
1.2
S
12
1.1
WSW
13
0.9
SW
13
0.9
WSW
12
1.8
SW
10
1.8
SW
9
2
SW
12
1.9
SW
12
2.3
SW
12
1.7
WSW
11
2.5
SW
11
2.5
SW
12
2.5
SW
13
4
SW
13
6
SW
15
5
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1100
736
305
344
384
427
230
260
636
552
1148
1012
1398
662
1622
1674
2309
6064
15267
11122
Wind (km/h)
10
SE
5
N
20
WSW
10
S
5
NE
35
WSW
25
WSW
15
W
20
SSW
15
SW
10
W
25
W
30
WSW
10
NNW
5
NW
15
SSW
30
W
35
WSW
30
WSW
20
SW
Wind State
cross
glassy
off
cross-off
on
off
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-on
cross
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
High Tide
3:36PM1.63m
3:42AM1.60m
4:02PM1.72m
4:10AM1.64m
4:29PM1.77m
4:39AM1.64m
4:57PM1.78m
5:08AM1.61m
5:26PM1.74m
5:40AM1.54m
5:58PM1.65m
6:14AM1.43m
6:35PM1.52m
Low Tide
9:41PM0.15m
9:49AM0.04m
10:09PM0.09m
10:15AM0.00m
10:38PM0.05m
10:42AM-0.00m
11:07PM0.06m
11:11AM0.04m
11:38PM0.10m
11:41AM0.11m
00:12AM0.19m
12:15PM0.23m
00:51AM0.32m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:43
6:43
6:41
6:39
6:39
6:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:58
5:59
5:59
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:01
 mm
4
4
2
1
Temp °C
27
26
24
26
24
25
18
16
15
15
14
15
15
14
17
19
15
15
15
14
Feels °C
26
23
21
24
23
23
15
14
12
12
12
10
8
11
15
17
14
8
7
8
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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