
Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 6 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 9 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 13s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 10 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SSW swell with 2,895 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 6 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 10s period with SE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whale Rock this week:
The surf forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 06) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 6s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whale Rock in the next 16 days are 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 10) 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 2.2m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Mon 6th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 9th Jul) | 8ft (2.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ through for the next couple of weeks at this spot.
Alright, we’ve got a bit of a slow start for *Whale Rock* (reef), but once the swell kicks in, it’s got some real potential. The water’s sittin’ at 71.8°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – feels nice on the skin.
First real chance to grab a board is that Monday afternoon, July 6th, but honestly, it’s not much. Tiny 2.6 ft swell from the SE, combined energy of 171, and a cross-shore wind. Strong enough to wet the leash, but not much else. Tuesday morning the 7th cleans right up – glassy, 1.6 ft of smooth SW swell (period 14s). It's surfable but ordinary. You’d be paddling for the sake of it.
Wednesday the 8th morning has 2.3 ft SSW swell with period of 14s, giving us 202 combined energy, but it’s cross-shore and marginal. Things start to get more interesting on Thursday the 9th morning – 5.6 ft SSW swell, 991 combined energy, clean with a cross-offshore wind. It's getting there, but still just marginal.
Here’s where it picks up. Friday morning, July 10th is our first standout. We’re looking at 8.2 ft SSW swell, period 14 seconds, combined energy up at 2862. That's solid, meaty groundswell, and with a gentle cross-offshore wind from the SW, it’s going to be clean. This one’s for the experienced crew – not a day for learners. The long period means the waves will have shape and power, perfect for this reef setup, but expect some lulls between sets. Crowds are possible here, so get on it early.
Saturday morning the 11th is also a beauty: 6.2 ft S swell, period 13 seconds, 1173 combined energy, and glassy as a mirror. That’s a morning for lining up the deep ones. By afternoon the wind swings onshore, so that clean window is tight.
We drop off a bit Sunday the 12th with storm risk and choppy cross-onshore wind. Monday the 13th glassy again with 5.9 ft ESE swell (9s period), 934 combined energy, and it’s looking very good. Not a standout against Friday, but a solid session.
Tuesday the 14th morning has a big 9.8 ft SSW swell, but period’s dropped to 10 seconds and it’s cross-shore. 3227 combined energy – there’s plenty of push, but with that wind and shorter period, it might be a bit lumpy. Only for the experts who don’t mind a wrestling match.
From Wednesday the 15th on, it fades and stays small and average through the 18th. A bit of a gap there with nothing special – a couple of glassy mornings around the 17th but only 2.3 ft surf, just cruisy small stuff.
Then we get a late pulse. Sunday morning July 19th brings 11.5 ft SSW swell with period 12s, combined energy a massive 4941, but it’s blowing a fresh 30 km/h cross-offshore. The power is ridiculous, but it’s going to be a rough, bumpy beast. A few days later on the 20th, we see 5.6 ft SSW swell with that beautiful 15-second period (very long period groundswell), combined energy of 1307, and clean offshore wind from the W. This is a great setup for the reef – those long-period lines will wrap in nicely. Another standout for the experienced surfer.
After that, it winds down, with smaller and more mixed conditions through to the 21st.
Best of the bunch: Friday July 10th morning – that 8.2 ft SSW groundswell with clean offshore conditions is the pick. Second shout is Monday July 20th afternoon, with that long-period SSW swell and offshore wind – that’s a session that’ll stick in the memory.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue morning, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat morning, fresh winds from the ESE by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Mon 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | SE 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
124 | 80 | 102 | 102 | 120 | 180 | 203 | 166 | 983 | 1089 | 1359 | 2855 | 2577 | 1592 | 1173 | 762 | 537 | 347 | 196 | 549 | 512 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 7:49PM1.43m | 7:59AM1.25m | 8:40PM1.38m | 9:00AM1.16m | 9:47PM1.33m | 10:24AM1.11m | 11:11PM1.32m | 12:00PM1.13m | 00:35AM1.36m | 1:20PM1.23m | 1:45AM1.45m | 2:22PM1.36m | 2:41AM1.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:03AM0.43m | 2:09PM0.37m | 3:03AM0.48m | 3:07PM0.44m | 4:19AM0.51m | 4:26PM0.50m | 5:48AM0.49m | 5:57PM0.49m | 7:07AM0.40m | 7:18PM0.40m | 8:09AM0.29m | 8:22PM0.30m | 9:00AM0.17m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | |
5:10 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | 5:15 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 27 | 23 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 6 | SSW 13 | NE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | S 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | E 8 | E 7 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
124 | 60 | 56 | 73 | 51 | 180 | 203 | 70 | 983 | 15 | 1359 | 2855 | 2577 | 1592 | 1173 | 762 | 528 | 290 | 178 | 549 | 512 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 14 | NE 8 | E 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | — | — | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 |
20 | 80 | 47 | 102 | 120 | 29 | 19 | 166 | 14 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 11 | — | — | 347 | 196 | 121 | 112 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SE 10 | SSW 5 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ENE 6 | E 10 | SE 9 | E 9 | SE 13 | SE 13 | — | — | — | — | SSE 7 | S 13 | SW 16 | SE 11 |
27 | 37 | 102 | 45 | 8 | 22 | 22 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 30 | 4 | 10 | 5 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | — | — | SSW 3 | SW 5 | — | S 2 | SSW 6 | — | SSW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 7 | E 7 | SSW 2 | S 8 | SW 5 | SSW 11 |
36 | — | — | 6 | 21 | — | 1 | 122 | — | 1089 | — | — | — | — | — | 175 | 537 | 1 | 157 | 19 | 305 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 11 | 39 | 0 | 10 | 238 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 0 | 959 | 154 | 190 | 446 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Whale Rock Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Whale Rock provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Whale Rock can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Whale Rock 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 (Whale Rock) 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 Whale Rock 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.
Whale Rock is 47 km (29 miles) from the city of Port Saint Johns. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Saint Johns. Port Saint Johns has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











