
Surf Forecasts:
Vetchs Reef surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 12s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 12s period, SE swell with 1,010 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 14s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Vetchs Reef this week:
The surf forecast for Vetchs Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Vetchs Reef in the next 16 days are 1.9m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 20th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Vetchs Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s on offer at Vetchs Reef. This is a high-end reef break that only works on a good swell, and it’s a rare one—it *rarely breaks*, so when it does, you want to be on it. The water is sitting at 72°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.
The whole 16-day window is a bit of a tease, honestly. The only real standout is the first session, Sunday morning the 19th. That’s your best bet. We’ve got a clean 3 ft SE swell rolling in at 14 seconds—solid groundswell with good energy, and the combined energy is moderate at 364. The wind is glassy out of the ESE at 3 mph, so it’s going to be smooth as silk. This is a reef, so that long period shouldn’t be an issue—it’ll wrap in nicely. You’ll want to be an advanced surfer here, and with crowds listed as “sometimes,” you might have a few others around, but it’s a rare break, so don’t expect a circus.
After that, it’s a long dry spell. From Sunday afternoon through to the end of July, the wind turns onshore or cross-off, the swell drops off, and the conditions are poor. There’s a brief flicker on Friday morning the 24th with a tiny 2 ft swell and light cross-off wind, but it’s “surfable but very ordinary”—not worth paddling out for. The energy drops into the tens and sixties, so it’s weak.
Then we hit a gap of almost nothing until the very end. The next real sniff comes on Monday morning the 3rd of August. That’s a full week and a half away, so take it with a grain of salt, but the forecast shows a 4 ft SE swell, 11-second period, with glassy conditions—zero wind. The combined energy is strong at 593, and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s the other standout. It’s a little smaller than the first day, but clean and punchy for a reef. If you’re an advanced surfer, that Monday morning is a solid long-range prospect.
The rest of the second week is mostly onshore slop, with the odd glassy moment on the 1st of August morning, but that’s only 2 ft from the east—not enough to get excited about.
So, two clear windows: Sunday morning the 19th, and Monday morning the 3rd of August. The first is the more reliable, the second is promising but less certain. Don’t bother with the weeks in between.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Thu afternoon, light winds from the NE by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SE 14 | SE 13 | E 10 | SE 12 | E 10 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 5 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
272 | 261 | 69 | 1010 | 28 | 748 | 546 | 546 | 440 | 409 | 314 | 232 | 161 | 101 | 77 | 59 | 42 | 29 | 77 | 69 | 33 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy |
High Tide | 7:14PM1.78m | 7:24AM1.59m | 7:52PM1.65m | 8:03AM1.46m | 8:36PM1.52m | 8:51AM1.33m | 9:34PM1.41m | 10:13AM1.23m | 11:07PM1.35m | 12:17PM1.23m | 00:47AM1.38m | 1:42PM1.33m | 1:52AM1.47m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:56PM0.37m | 1:26AM0.52m | 1:31PM0.50m | 2:06AM0.65m | 2:09PM0.64m | 2:56AM0.77m | 2:58PM0.77m | 4:10AM0.86m | 4:18PM0.88m | 6:01AM0.86m | 6:17PM0.89m | 7:26AM0.78m | 7:39PM0.81m | ||||||||
6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | |
— | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | SE 11 | S 9 | S 11 | S 11 | S 16 | S 15 | S 16 | SSW 15 |
560 | 583 | 933 | 1010 | 1177 | 748 | 546 | 546 | 440 | 409 | 314 | 100 | 68 | 101 | 517 | 651 | 688 | 1904 | 726 | 838 | 387 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 14 | SE 13 | S 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | NE 5 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ENE 7 | SE 10 | ENE 5 |
272 | 261 | 167 | 46 | 28 | 110 | 82 | 91 | 17 | 309 | 210 | 232 | 161 | 37 | 77 | 59 | 42 | 29 | 41 | 15 | 32 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | S 11 | E 10 | SSW 16 | S 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 16 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SE 11 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | SSW 19 | E 10 | S 19 | SE 10 | SSE 8 |
90 | 112 | 69 | 24 | 17 | 27 | 15 | 15 | 191 | 6 | 6 | 98 | 71 | 101 | 12 | 6 | 125 | 8 | 186 | 15 | 75 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 6 | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | SSW 5 | SSW 7 | SSW 9 | — | ENE 7 | — | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 5 |
— | — | — | 126 | — | — | — | 11 | 41 | 15 | 66 | 206 | 113 | 543 | 761 | — | 9 | — | 77 | 69 | 33 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 683 | 740 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Vetchs Reef Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Vetchs Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Vetchs Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Vetchs Reef 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 (Vetchs Reef) 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 Vetchs Reef 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Vetchs Reef, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, consider staying in Durban which is 5 km (3 miles) away. Other places in and around Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Glenwood which is 7 km (4 miles) away, Kwamashu, Umhlanga and Mount Edgecombe.










