Surf Forecasts:
Vetchs Reef surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period, SE swell with 865 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 6 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with E 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 Thursday (Aug 06) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Vetchs Reef in the next 16 days are 2.4m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 10s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Vetchs Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, I’m gonna break it down for Vetchs Reef, the only spot we’ve got for the next 16 days. It’s an advanced reef break that rarely breaks, so it’s a picky one. The first week is a total loss. From Thursday the 6th through Monday the 11th, it’s all poor surf—onshore and cross-shore winds, lumpy chop, and tiny swell. Swell’s hangin’ around 2 to 3 feet from the east, periods 9-10 seconds, and the combined energy is weak to moderate—mostly 60-170. Water temp is about average for the season. For a reef that needs everything to line up, this is a washout. You’d be better off takin’ a break.
But then things get interestin’ Wednesday the 12th. The morning is still marginal—swell bumps to 5 feet from the southeast, period 8 seconds, light cross-shore wind (combined energy of 540). Not the one. The real magic is Wednesday afternoon: glassy, clean, no wind, swell at 7 feet from the southeast, period 9 seconds, combined energy of 727. That’s solid energy, and the reef will be pumpin’. But at 7 feet, this is expert territory—too big for beginners. For a rare-breaking reef, this is the standout, the best on offer. The glassy conditions make it clean as a whistle. Thursday the 13th morning still has clean conditions with a 5-foot swell from the east-southeast, but the energy drops to 349. After that, onshore winds and chop take over from Friday the 14th through Monday the 18th, with swell stuck around 3-4 feet and messy cross-on winds.
There’s a tiny window Sunday the 16th morning: glassy, with a 4-foot east swell at 9 seconds, combined energy 301, and good surf expected. That’s small but clean. The final few days—Tuesday the 19th has clean cross-off winds but poor surf, though Wednesday the 20th morning brings a 6-foot northeast swell at 7 seconds with clean winds and combined energy of 407. That’s notable, but the period is short. Friday the 21st morning sees a 7-foot northeast swell at 8 seconds, combined energy 689, but it’s marginal. The standout is hands-down Wednesday the 12th afternoon. Circle that date. The rest is mostly waitin’ and hopin’.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat morning, min 17°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu morning, calm by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 35mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sun morning, strong winds from the SSW by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 120 | 121 | 85 | 109 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 138 | 129 | 123 | 110 | 58 | 62 | 61 | 89 | 85 | 83 | 555 | 865 | 598 | 572 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off |
High Tide | 8:10AM1.47m | 8:52PM1.51m | 9:31AM1.34m | 10:33PM1.41m | 11:49AM1.33m | 00:34AM1.45m | 1:29PM1.48m | 1:51AM1.59m | 2:27PM1.68m | 2:43AM1.75m | 3:12PM1.86m | 3:25AM1.88m | 3:50PM2.00m | 4:03AM1.96m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:21PM0.65m | 3:21AM0.77m | 3:49PM0.80m | 5:21AM0.80m | 6:06PM0.81m | 7:07AM0.68m | 7:39PM0.67m | 8:10AM0.50m | 8:36PM0.50m | 8:56AM0.33m | 9:21PM0.35m | 9:36AM0.20m | 9:59PM0.24m | ||||||||
 |  |  | | |  | | | | | |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | |
 | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 16 | ENE 7 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 |
| kJ | 120 | 121 | 85 | 109 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 138 | 129 | 123 | 110 | 58 | 62 | 61 | 1312 | 85 | 273 | 431 | 865 | 598 | 572 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | S 6 | S 6 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | — | SSW 16 | — | E 10 | S 14 | E 9 | S 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 26 | 162 | 80 | 35 | 23 | 83 | 99 | 24 | 116 | 75 | 140 | — | 48 | — | 89 | 107 | 83 | 127 | 205 | 189 | 191 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSE 5 | SSW 12 | SSE 7 | E 10 | SE 7 | SE 7 | — | — | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | — | E 10 | E 9 | S 9 | SSW 22 |
| kJ | 119 | 9 | 8 | 143 | 98 | 9 | 45 | 4 | 47 | 14 | 14 | — | — | — | 131 | 42 | — | 121 | 62 | 83 | 46 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 5 | S 6 | — | — | NNE 5 | NE 4 | ENE 6 | NNE 6 | SSW 5 | S 5 | SSW 8 | S 8 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 46 | 66 | — | — | 2 | 16 | 138 | 111 | 37 | 12 | 1433 | 1429 | 2927 | 1568 | 800 | 725 | 555 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 33 | 213 | 0 | 1 | 156 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2611 | 1215 | 795 | 907 | 53 | 1 | 1242 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Vetchs Reef surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest