
Surf Forecasts:
Tubes surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 15s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 16 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,438 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 9s 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 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 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tubes over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid 16-day window opening up at Tubes, a reef and point set-up that loves a SSW swell. Let’s break it down.
We kick off Monday the 13th with hardly anything to get excited about. The surf is poor, not worth paddling out for. Just a little wait, and by Tuesday morning the 14th, things flip. We’re looking at clean 5 ft surf from the ESE with glassy conditions – that’s the kind of stillness that makes for a real treat. The energy is picking up, with a combined swell energy of 560 (moderate). It’s a good warm-up but not the stand-out.
Now, the real standout is Thursday the 16th. If you’re an experienced surfer, this is your day. We’ve got a powerful 10 ft groundswell from the SW, with a period of 14 seconds, pushing through for the morning session. The energy is strong, hitting 3186, and the wind is glassy – it’s going to be clean. The afternoon stays solid at 8 ft with offshore winds, so you’re looking at a full day of it. This is a big swell, over 8 ft, so it’s for experts only, but the quality is there.
Friday the 17th keeps the size up with another 10 ft SW groundswell, but the wind is a bit stronger offshore in the morning, still clean though. It’s a lot of energy (3017) and the conditions are good for experienced surfers. The afternoon is more of the same, with a smooth offshore breeze.
We hit a bit of a lull over the weekend. Saturday the 18th is a write-off with strong onshore winds making a mess of the 6 ft southerly swell. Sunday the 19th is a bit better – clean 4 ft to 7 ft swells from the SW, but it’s not the size of the earlier part of the week.
We’ve got a gap of poor conditions Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st. Tuesday the 21st brings a massive 10 ft to 12 ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s messy. The energy is huge (7023), but the wind kills it.
The end of the week picks up again. Wednesday the 22nd afternoon is a top pick. You’ve got an 8 ft SSW groundswell (15-second period, 3238 energy) with offshore winds. That’s clean, powerful, and a solid option for the experienced crew.
Thursday the 23rd is a monster – 13 ft SW groundswell with a period of 13 seconds. The energy is massive (5945) but the wind is light cross-shore in the morning, then a slight cross in the afternoon. It’s a lot of water moving, and with that size, it’s strictly for experts. The crowd factor at Tubes is listed as “sometimes,” so you might get a few others, but with that size, it’ll be thinned out.
The rest of the period wobbles around. Friday the 24th offers a clean 6 ft in the afternoon with offshore winds, which is a nice session. Then Saturday the 25th morning is another standout for the experts: an 12 ft SW groundswell, glassy conditions, and 3563 energy. It’s clean, powerful, and a beautiful way to start the weekend.
We’ve got a poor run Sunday the 26th with a massive 23 ft cross-onshore mess – that’s a kite boarder’s dream, not a paddle surfer’s. Then we close out on Monday the 27th morning with a glassy 13 ft SW groundswell, and Tuesday the 28th morning with a clean 8 ft. The long-range stuff is promising but a little less certain. Keep your eyes on Thursday the 16th and Wednesday the 22nd afternoon – those are your best bets.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 21°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the ENE by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sun 19 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SSW 10 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 8 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
423 | 296 | 222 | 389 | 432 | 60 | 61 | 53 | 266 | 1219 | 3186 | 2376 | 1819 | 3017 | 2089 | 1098 | 763 | 898 | 586 | 706 | 1281 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 2:36AM1.57m | 3:09PM1.52m | 3:25AM1.64m | 3:55PM1.63m | 4:10AM1.67m | 4:39PM1.70m | 4:52AM1.65m | 5:20PM1.72m | 5:32AM1.59m | 6:00PM1.69m | 6:10AM1.50m | 6:39PM1.62m | 6:48AM1.39m | 7:17PM1.51m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:21PM0.28m | 8:58AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.18m | 9:43AM0.05m | 10:03PM0.12m | 10:25AM0.01m | 10:48PM0.10m | 11:04AM0.00m | 11:31PM0.12m | 11:41AM0.04m | 00:12AM0.19m | 12:17PM0.12m | 00:52AM0.28m | 12:52PM0.23m | |||||||
— | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | |
5:27 | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 22 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 17 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | E 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | SW 14 | SW 12 |
423 | 258 | 349 | 389 | 432 | 449 | 327 | 207 | 177 | 842 | 3186 | 2376 | 1819 | 3017 | 2089 | 1098 | 763 | 898 | 586 | 706 | 1281 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 11 | SW 10 | E 7 | SW 13 | S 10 | E 9 |
10 | 296 | 222 | 130 | 100 | 60 | 61 | 53 | 164 | 1219 | 156 | 125 | 128 | 98 | 72 | 615 | 229 | 86 | 331 | 308 | 95 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | W 11 | SSW 14 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | WSW 12 | SW 9 | WSW 10 | SW 17 | E 10 | — | — | — | — | S 15 | S 15 | E 6 | SW 10 | E 8 | E 8 | S 10 |
8 | 9 | 21 | 28 | 28 | 47 | 22 | 33 | 148 | 149 | — | — | — | — | 153 | 441 | 69 | 192 | 132 | 91 | 116 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | SW 3 | WSW 4 | SW 6 | SW 8 | — | — | — | WSW 5 | — | — | E 10 | ENE 6 | — | WSW 4 | — | — |
352 | 357 | 466 | — | — | 2 | 6 | 75 | 266 | — | — | — | 52 | — | — | 69 | 145 | — | 7 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 30 | 140 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 143 | 0 | 30 | 172 | 172 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
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.











