Surf Forecasts:
Tubes surf forecast from 31 Aug 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, 2PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 18s period, S swell with 13,514 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period with WSW 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m 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 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the ocean's got cookin' for the next couple of weeks.
The first part of this stretch is all about the cold. That water is a full 3° colder than it ought to be for this time of year, so you'll be needing the thickest suit you own and probably a hood. We've got some solid swell on the way, but there's a rough patch in the middle, and we're looking at a bit of a lull before the next pulse. The early calls are the reliable ones; the stuff at the end is more of a "keep an eye on it" situation.
Monday morning, August 31st we kick off with a clean 6ft SW swell rolling into Tubes. It's glassy out there, real calm, with a 12-second period. There's some decent energy behind it (985), so it's a solid, if not spectacular, start. The afternoon stays clean with a light cross-off breeze, the swell holding around 6ft.
Tuesday, September 1st gets a bit more serious. The morning sees the swell push up to 8ft from the SW, with the energy jumping into a strong reading (1398). The wind is a slight cross-off, keeping things tidy. That's a good session. The afternoon jumps again to 8ft but the wind shifts and makes it a bit trickier, even with the energy pumping hard (2111).
Wednesday, September 2nd is the standout of the first week. The morning is prime for the experienced crew. We're looking at a solid 10ft SW groundswell, the period stretching out to 13 seconds, and the energy is right up there at 3364. The wind is a light cross-off, leaving it glassy and clean. This is big, powerful, and perfect. The afternoon holds the size but the breeze swings cross-shore, so it gets a little lumpy.
Thursday, September 3rd backs off a touch. The morning has a clean 8ft SW swell with a light cross-off breeze, energy still strong at 1724. That's another good one. But don't bother with the afternoon – a strong 45 km/h cross-shore wind is going to chop it up completely.
Friday, September 4th is a mess. A fresh SE wind whips up a 13ft SE swell, but it's short-period (10s) and lumpy. It's just big and junky, not worth the paddle out. The afternoon gets worse with cross-onshore winds. That's a beach day, not a surf day.
Saturday, September 5th is no better. Small, choppy, and onshore. Forget it.
Sunday, September 6th – now here's the big one. The morning brings a massive 10ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period. That's a ton of water moving. The wind is cross-off and it's clean at the break, and the energy reading is astronomical (7019). However, with that kind of period, it's going to look a bit straight and walled-up. This is for pros only. The afternoon is even bigger – 15ft at 16 seconds, with a huge energy reading (11244) – but the wind goes cross-shore and makes it dangerous and lumpy. The morning is the lesser of two evils.
Monday, September 7th is a complete washout with strong, messy onshore winds.
Tuesday, September 8th is tiny and blown out. We hit a flat spell here.
This flat spell runs through the middle of the week. Wednesday and Thursday (Sept 9-10) are small, but Thursday morning shows a glimmer of hope with a clean 7ft ESE swell and a light cross-off wind. It’s not much, but it's clean.
Friday (Sept 11th) is small again.
Saturday, September 12th is the one to watch for the second week. We finally get a moderate offshore wind and a clean 5ft SW swell in the morning. It's not big, but it's good, clean surf. The afternoon improves a touch with a 6ft WSW and clean conditions. A proper, fun session.
Sunday, September 13th holds some promise too, with a 7ft SW in the morning and clean conditions with a light cross-off breeze. Another good call for the weekend, but again, nothing on the scale of that Wednesday.
After that, the outlook fades again with poor, onshore winds and small surf for the rest of the window. The big Wednesday and the clean Sunday will be your best bets, but the further out you go, the less you can trust the forecast.
Catch you in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 20mm), heaviest during Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat morning, min 15°C on Thu morning). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 18 | S 16 | S 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
974 | 807 | 836 | 1398 | 2111 | 3663 | 3364 | 2830 | 2114 | 1724 | 878 | 5439 | 3137 | 1792 | 812 | 574 | 412 | 342 | 5629 | 11244 | 5133 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 5:26PM1.74m | 5:40AM1.54m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:11AM0.04m | 11:38PM0.10m | 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 | ||||||||
6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 5 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SE 8 | SSW 18 | S 16 | S 13 |
974 | 807 | 836 | 1398 | 2111 | 3663 | 3364 | 2830 | 2114 | 1724 | 878 | 428 | 208 | 521 | 282 | 313 | 291 | 154 | 5629 | 11244 | 5133 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 5 | — | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | S 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | E 8 | SSW 9 | E 10 | — |
106 | 100 | 70 | 65 | 48 | 29 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 39 | 8 | — | 239 | 174 | 129 | 103 | 99 | 60 | 606 | 45 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 11 | S 7 | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 9 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 11 | — | — | SW 10 | WSW 10 | — | — |
11 | 23 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | 21 | 73 | 176 | — | — | 102 | 38 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SSW 10 | SE 8 | — | E 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 356 | 5439 | 3137 | 1792 | 812 | 574 | 412 | 342 | 746 | — | 18 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 198 | 0 | 0 | 3297 | 514 | 1604 | 1508 | 172 | 198 | 598 | 180 | 595 | 595 | 198 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











