Surf Forecasts:
Vetchs Reef surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, ENE swell with 1,289 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 9s 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 9s period. 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 3.0m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Vetchs Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a coffee and listen up. This is a tricky one for the coming weeks. We’re looking at Vetchs Reef, a spot that rarely breaks to begin with, and the next 16 days are a real mixed bag.
Right now, there’s no surf on the table. The first few days are a write-off – Friday the 28th through Sunday the 30th have poor surf with fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. The swell is there, between 7 ft and 10 ft, but it’s all wind-affected and messy. The combined energy is moderate (417 to 1190), but it’s not worth paddling out for.
We’ve got a long gap with nothing good until we hit Tuesday morning, the 1st of September. That’s the first real standout. The wind goes glassy, with a light air from the NE. The swell is 4 ft from the east, with a 9-second period. The combined energy is moderate (252), and the water temp is about average for the time of year. This is a clean, glassy window for Vetchs Reef – a rare moment of calm. The wave quality is “expect good surf conditions,” so if you can get out there, it’s the best of the early run.
Then, the wind picks up again, and we’re back to poor conditions through the rest of the first week. The real highlight, though, is further out. On Friday the 4th of September, the morning shows a serious pulse: 15 ft swell from the SE, with a 12-second period. That’s a very long period groundswell, and the combined energy is a massive 4834 – strong. The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’s not blown out, but the size and period mean it’s strictly for experts. This kind of swell is best at a reef like Vetchs Reef, but it’s a big, powerful, and dangerous wave. Only for the very experienced.
The following days, Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th, still have big swell, but the wind turns strong and messy, killing the quality. The 12th of September has a moderate 10 ft swell from the ENE, and the wind is clean cross-off, but it’s still a marginal call.
Overall, the standout is Tuesday morning, 1st September for clean, glassy, manageable waves. The big event is Friday morning, 4th September – huge, powerful, and only for experts. The rest of the period is a lot of waiting and watching.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 24°C on Mon morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun night, strong winds from the S by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | ||||||||||||||
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) | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 374 | 417 | 742 | 600 | 600 | 1190 | 785 | 406 | 363 | 240 | 246 | 226 | 164 | 252 | 257 | 407 | 257 | 116 | 50 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:52AM1.89m | 4:09PM2.04m | 4:18AM1.95m | 4:36PM2.08m | 4:45AM1.97m | 5:04PM2.09m | 5:13AM1.95m | 5:32PM2.04m | 5:42AM1.88m | 6:03PM1.95m | 6:14AM1.78m | 6:36PM1.81m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:51PM0.30m | 9:57AM0.19m | 10:18PM0.22m | 10:23AM0.13m | 10:45PM0.19m | 10:51AM0.12m | 11:13PM0.20m | 11:19AM0.15m | 11:42PM0.26m | 11:48AM0.23m | 00:13AM0.35m | 12:20PM0.36m | 00:47AM0.49m | ||||||
 |  | | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — |
 | 5:37 | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 18 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 |
Feels °C | 12 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 22 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | SSE 7 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 757 | 455 | 353 | 184 | 243 | 187 | 101 | 406 | 363 | 240 | 246 | 226 | 164 | 99 | 6 | 20 | 257 | 116 | 50 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 16 | S 15 | — | — | SW 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSW 10 | SSE 10 | SW 12 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 14 | E 8 | SSW 20 |
| kJ | — | — | 86 | 163 | — | — | 4 | 41 | 24 | 80 | 53 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 81 | 68 | 218 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 15 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SSW 12 | S 11 | — | — | — | NE 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 18 | 28 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 10 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 7 | — | SE 6 | S 7 | E 9 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | S 3 | SSW 8 | S 8 |
| kJ | 374 | 417 | 742 | 600 | 600 | 1190 | 785 | 119 | 148 | 126 | — | 39 | 102 | 252 | 257 | 407 | 5 | 675 | 386 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 354 | 432 | 475 | 354 | 408 | 780 | 26 | 156 | 432 | 0 | 2 | 856 | 1 | 0 | 695 | 221 | 213 | 862 | 1 |
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)
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