Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 17 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 18 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, S swell with 3,244 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 18) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 8s period and expected on Monday (Jul 13) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 12th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 17th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 18th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
Right, mate, let's get into it. The outlook's a bit of a mixed bag, but there's some real gems hidden in there if you're patient.
The first few days are a write-off for us, but from Sunday the 12th onward, we start to see some action. Sunday morning is your first real chance. Whale Rock is serving up a solid 4.9ft south swell, with a nice 12-second period. The winds are glassy from the ENE, so it's going to be clean. The combined energy is a solid 653, so there's plenty of push. It's a reef break, advanced only, and it's inconsistent, but when it's on, it's on. Crowds can show up, so be ready for that. The water temp is about average for this time of year. Sunday arvo, the wind swings and the session gets blown out, so get in early.
We've got a bit of a lull after that. Monday and Tuesday have some waves, but the wind and conditions are off. Tuesday morning and afternoon on the 14th are glassy again with a 6.2ft swell from the east, but it's a shorter period (9 seconds) and the energy is moderate (648). It's a good paddle, but the wave shape might be a bit dumpy.
The real standout is looking like Thursday the 23rd. Mark your calendar. We've got a 3.3ft south-southwest groundswell with a massive 19-second period. The energy is strong at 1532, and it's glassy with the wind from the ESE. This is pure, lined-up, long-period energy. For a reef break like Whale Rock, that's a dream. This is for experienced surfers only, and it's going to be a special, clean session. The conditions couldn't be much better for that spot.
Leading up to that, the 22nd has some clean, but windy, surf. The 25th and 26th keep the swell going, but the wind is messy. The 27th Monday morning looks like another good one to close it out, with a 4.9ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and glassy conditions.
So, the play is: Sunday morning the 12th is a goer, and Thursday the 23rd is the absolute stand-out. Don't sleep on that one.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Sat 18 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 13 | S 14 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1009 | 650 | 368 | 348 | 346 | 443 | 273 | 575 | 528 | 490 | 444 | 415 | 441 | 379 | 327 | 327 | 230 | 1232 | 1844 | 3244 | 2209 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | off | glassy | glassy | off | cross | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:45AM1.45m | 2:22PM1.36m | 2:41AM1.54m | 3:13PM1.49m | 3:30AM1.62m | 3:59PM1.61m | 4:14AM1.65m | 4:42PM1.68m | 4:55AM1.65m | 5:23PM1.71m | 5:33AM1.60m | 6:02PM1.69m | 6:10AM1.52m | 6:40PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:09AM0.29m | 8:22PM0.30m | 9:00AM0.17m | 9:16PM0.19m | 9:45AM0.08m | 10:04PM0.13m | 10:26AM0.02m | 10:48PM0.10m | 11:05AM0.00m | 11:30PM0.13m | 11:42AM0.03m | 00:10AM0.19m | 12:17PM0.09m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | |  | | |
 | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — |
 | 5:14 | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 |
mm | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | 2 |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 17 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | S 12 | SE 7 | ESE 7 | E 8 | S 11 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | S 14 | S 13 |
| kJ | 1009 | 650 | 200 | 240 | 346 | 188 | 273 | 575 | 528 | 490 | 444 | 415 | 441 | 379 | 327 | 327 | 230 | 154 | 1844 | 3244 | 2209 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | — | SE 9 | SSW 10 | S 9 | SW 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 15 | SW 13 | SW 14 | — | S 16 | E 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 15 | 26 | 368 | 268 | 194 | — | 226 | 42 | 27 | 23 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 23 | 148 | 183 | 51 | — | 1102 | 122 | 92 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 8 | S 15 | S 13 | — | SSW 10 | SSE 10 | SW 10 | S 9 | SE 11 | SSE 10 | SSW 8 | SW 17 | SW 9 | S 10 | — | — | E 10 | — | SW 18 |
| kJ | — | — | 24 | 17 | 55 | — | 85 | 31 | 25 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 74 | 19 | 2 | — | — | 118 | — | 49 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 5 | ENE 5 | E 7 | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | — | — | ENE 4 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 9 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 3 | 33 | 348 | — | 443 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 8 | — | 80 | 1232 | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 238 | 0 | 29 | 166 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 43 | 186 | 0 | 444 | 461 | 1 | 238 | 289 |
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