Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 28 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 3 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 10s period, ESE swell with 4,777 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 1 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period with E 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 Tuesday (Sep 01) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. 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 4.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 04) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 9s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Fri 4th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ with Whale Rock.
Mate, I gotta be straight with you – this 16-day stretch is a real mixed bag and there’s a huge painful gap at the start. For the first five days, from Friday, August 28th right through to Wednesday, September 2nd, the surf is just no good. We’ve got a moderate to fresh cross-onshore breeze pretty much the whole time, choppy and lumpy conditions, and swell energy is all over the place but mostly weak to moderate (35-512 in the energy readout). The tide is probably not helping either. Best to leave the board in the car for that first week.
Things start to change slightly on Thursday, September 3rd. That morning the swell jumps up with a solid 5 ft from the SSW and a very long 14-second period, and the energy is massive (1106), but it’s onshore with heavy rain and the score isn’t there – only an 'marginal' call. The afternoon, however, gets interesting. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – and the wave state is actually marked as "glassy." Swell drops a bit to 5 ft, still a long period, and energy is still strong (746). That Thursday afternoon is the best moment in the entire forecast. If you are an advanced surfer, you need to get on it. The offshore wind is clean from the west-northwest, which is exactly what this reef likes, and the swell direction is south, which matches the optimum. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.
Now, hang on, because Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th get absolutely hammered. Swell blows up to 18 ft to 23 ft with strong east energy (up to 14399), but it’s pinned under a near gale cross-onshore wind. Complete blown-out mess. This is way too big for anyone except the most insane (or stupid) expert, and even then, the wind will ruin it. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer.
Sunday, September 6th drops to a cleaner, though still chunky, 10 ft from the east with a gentle cross-shore breeze. That’s a marginal window – okay for an experienced surfer at very, very select spots, but the period is only 11 seconds, so it’s not going to be the cleanest.
From Monday, September 7th onwards, we get a slow taper. Swell drops from 6 ft to 4 ft through to Tuesday, September 8th, with periods of 10-9 seconds. Light cross-shore and onshore breezes keep things just marginal. Wednesday, September 9th through Friday, September 11th shows a couple of pulses of mediocre swell and cross-onshore wind again, mostly 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind chops it up. The very end of the outlook on Saturday, September 12th is tiny and clean but also strong offshore wind, just a tiny 1 ft.
All in, the standout is Thursday afternoon, September 3rd. Glassy conditions, 5 ft groundswell from the south, long 14-second period, and clean offshore wind direction for the break. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Everything else before that is a write-off, and after that it’s messy or way too big for any fun.
Crowds at Whale Rock can show up sometimes, and since it’s a rare break that only works on a good swell, if that window holds, you’ll want to paddle out early to get a spot. This reef is for advanced crew only when the swell is over 8 ft, and the 3rd stays below that threshold but has plenty of punch.
Keep your eye on the sky, mates. This one will be a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Fri morning, min 18°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Thu night, light winds from the SE by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 14°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
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) | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | E 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
704 | 416 | 342 | 333 | 228 | 137 | 63 | 76 | 41 | 17 | 64 | 128 | 314 | 16 | 76 | 206 | 277 | 472 | 1750 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:49AM1.61m | 4:09PM1.71m | 4:16AM1.66m | 4:35PM1.77m | 4:44AM1.67m | 5:02PM1.78m | 5:12AM1.64m | 5:31PM1.75m | 5:42AM1.57m | 6:02PM1.67m | 6:14AM1.47m | 6:36PM1.54m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:46PM0.15m | 9:55AM0.03m | 10:14PM0.08m | 10:21AM-0.02m | 10:42PM0.04m | 10:48AM-0.03m | 11:10PM0.05m | 11:15AM0.00m | 11:41PM0.09m | 11:45AM0.07m | 00:13AM0.18m | 12:18PM0.18m | 00:49AM0.31m | ||||||
— | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | |
5:43 | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 5 |
Temp °C | 18 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 13 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 7 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 17 |
704 | 416 | 342 | 1034 | 228 | 137 | 586 | 351 | 358 | 348 | 220 | 173 | 314 | 16 | 76 | 497 | 249 | 137 | 1750 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSE 16 | S 15 | S 12 | SW 14 | SSW 10 | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 6 | SSE 5 | SSW 9 | SSE 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 11 | S 9 | SW 14 | — | NE 8 | ENE 8 |
421 | 84 | 170 | 333 | 8 | 10 | 63 | 40 | 41 | 17 | 29 | 10 | 35 | 11 | 2 | 206 | — | 43 | 57 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | — | SSE 14 | SSE 11 | SSW 6 | SSE 11 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 15 | — | S 11 | — | — | NE 9 |
— | — | — | 9 | 8 | 7 | — | 18 | 22 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 8 | — | 2 | — | — | 27 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SW 5 | S 6 | — | — | S 6 | SSE 6 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | — | SSW 6 | SSW 7 | S 7 |
763 | 721 | 999 | 1839 | 904 | 1132 | 64 | 76 | — | — | 64 | 128 | — | 391 | 527 | — | 277 | 472 | 209 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 143 | 143 | 186 | 133 | 118 | 589 | 238 | 1 | 143 | 47 | 143 | 589 | 0 | 281 | 412 | 0 | 503 | 594 | 39 |
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)
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.











