Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 19 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, E swell with 4,319 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 13s period with SSW 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 (Sep 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Whale Rock in the next 16 days are 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 5.0m 11s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for Whale Rock.
Right off the bat, the water temperature is a real shocker at 63°, a whopping 6° colder than normal for this time of year. That's very unusual, so you're gonna want a thick wetsuit if you're even thinking about paddling out.
Honestly, the next week to ten days are a write-off. We've got a long stretch of poor conditions with strong cross-onshore winds and messy, lumpy surf. From Sunday the 13th right through to the end of the week, every session is a battle against the wind. There's some solid swell in there, with combined energy hitting over 2000 (2130 on the 14th and 2274 on the 19th) but the 12ft plus of easterly windswell is just going to be a blown-out mess with the relentless cross-onshore breeze. It's way too big and choppy for anyone but experts, and even then, it's not worth it.
After that dry spell, there is one true standout that gets me a little excited. Look at Monday the 21st of September morning. The wind is set to go glassy – dead calm – and we’ll have a clean 6ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period. The combined energy is a solid 828, which is moderate but will pack a punch. That's the pick of the whole forecast. Whale Rock is a reef break, so that long-period energy (10 seconds is decent) should wrap in nicely. Get in the water early.
The rest of that day and the days following just don't hold up. The wind comes back onshore or swings around, messing with the waves. There are a few marginal calls, like Wednesday the 23rd morning with a 4ft easterly swell, but that gentle cross-shore breeze will leave a slight chop. It's surfable, but nothing to write home about.
So, to keep it short: the forecast is mostly a bust. The one real chance for some clean, glassy waves is the morning of Monday the 21st. Mark it on your calendar. Before that, save your energy. The ocean's just not playing ball.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 19°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Mon afternoon, calm by Tue night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 54mm), heaviest during Thu morning. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 14°C on Fri morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Wed afternoon, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 17 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 14 | SW 12 | E 10 | SSW 11 | E 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 657 | 857 | 1138 | 1960 | 104 | 159 | 1000 | 40 | 627 | 113 | 207 | 143 | 384 | 545 | 445 | 516 | 575 | 1009 | 1014 | 2214 | 3601 |
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-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 4:57PM1.78m | 5:08AM1.61m | 5:23PM1.69m | 5:34AM1.52m | 5:48PM1.56m | 5:59AM1.41m | 6:12PM1.42m | 6:23AM1.28m | 6:36PM1.27m | 6:48AM1.13m | 7:04PM1.12m | 7:24AM0.98m | 7:58PM0.97m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:42AM-0.02m | 11:05PM0.05m | 11:09AM0.05m | 11:31PM0.13m | 11:35AM0.15m | 11:56PM0.24m | 12:00PM0.28m | 00:22AM0.37m | 12:26PM0.43m | 00:49AM0.51m | 12:53PM0.58m | 1:27AM0.65m | 1:35PM0.74m | 3:45AM0.77m | |||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | | |  | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — |
mm | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 5 | 18 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 15 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | E 11 |
| kJ | 657 | 612 | 334 | 168 | 104 | 2280 | 1000 | 896 | 627 | 520 | 418 | 356 | 296 | 308 | 445 | 66 | 48 | 191 | 85 | 60 | 3601 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | S 9 | S 10 | S 9 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | E 10 | — | SSW 15 | — | — | — | SW 12 |
| kJ | 33 | 15 | 8 | 2 | — | 59 | 51 | 40 | 18 | 26 | 25 | 104 | 46 | 68 | 255 | — | 44 | — | — | — | 21 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 19 | SSW 16 | S 11 | — | S 12 | — | — | SW 13 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 16 |
| kJ | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 25 | 9 | — | 3 | — | — | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | 24 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 10 | SW 12 | — | ENE 10 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | — | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 9 | — |
| kJ | 481 | 857 | 1138 | 1960 | 3352 | 159 | — | 1111 | — | 113 | 207 | 143 | 384 | 545 | — | 516 | 575 | 1009 | 1014 | 2214 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 289 | 643 | 593 | 402 | 266 | 6 | 114 | 47 | 0 | 444 | 594 | 0 | 238 | 114 | 0 | 238 | 54 | 0 | 163 | 643 | 261 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild 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 Whale Rock 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 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.
Nearest