Whale Rock Surf Break

Lat Long: 31.94° S 29.22° E

Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 13 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whale Rock sea temperature is
21.2° C
0.4° 

Whale Rock surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Whale Rock surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SSW swell with 4,555 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 8s period with ESE 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 (Jul 14) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period. 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 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.4m 10s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Tue 14th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s
Best Surf11AM (Mon 20th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 13s
Most Powerful 2PM (Mon 20th Jul)11ft (3.5m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s talk about what’s on offer at Whale Rock.

First up, the water temp is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there. The forecast kicks off with a bit of a slow start though. For the first few days, we’ve got some swell, but the wind is just not playing nice, making it a bit of a struggle.

Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th have some waist-to-chest high stuff, around 6ft to 7ft, coming from the East. But with a cross or cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be choppy and messy. Not the best for a paddle out.

Thursday the 16th morning is where it starts to get interesting. The wind drops right off – glassy conditions – and we’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the East with a period of 11 seconds. The energy is moderate (723), and it’s looking like a fun session for those who can handle the reef. This is probably the best bet in the early part of the run.

Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th see the swell drop and the wind turns ugly again. Saturday even gets a bit of a bump from the south, but that moderate cross-onshore wind will ruin it. Not worth it.

Then we get a big gap of nothing much until Monday the 20th. And man, is it worth the wait. On Monday the 20th, the morning is a standout. We’re looking at a solid 10ft groundswell from the SSW, with a period of 13 seconds. The energy is very strong (3472), and the wind is glassy. This is serious, experienced-surfer territory – over 8ft, so it’s for experts only. That long period will make for some powerful, well-shaped waves at this reef, but the sets will be a bit less frequent. Absolutely the best on offer in this whole outlook.

The rest of that week cools down a bit. Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd mornings have some clean, smaller waves, but nothing like that Monday peak. The afternoon winds pick up, so get out early.

The following week, from the 23rd onwards, looks pretty poor. The swell gets small, the wind is all over the place, and there’s nothing to get excited about. There’s a glimmer on Saturday the 25th morning with a clean 5ft wave from the ENE, but it’s a really short period (6 seconds), so the energy is weak. It’s a long shot.

So, to sum it up: the first few days are a write-off due to wind. Thursday the 16th morning is a solid, clean option. But the absolute highlight, the one you’ve got to circle on your calendar, is Monday the 20th morning. It’s big, it’s clean, and it’s powerful – only for the experienced crew. After that, the window slams shut.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Thu night, strong winds from the SW by Sun afternoon).

Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Mon
20
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
1
3
2
1
3
3
2
3
1
0
4
1
0
4
2
0
2
5
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SE
8
2
E
9
2
E
9
2
E
10
1.8
E
10
1.6
E
10
1.6
E
11
1.5
E
11
1.4
E
10
1.3
E
10
1.1
E
10
1
E
10
1.5
SSW
14
1.5
SSW
12
1.5
S
12
1.7
S
12
1.6
S
12
1.5
S
11
2.5
SSW
8
3
SSW
13
3.5
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
206
664
693
802
696
524
588
517
426
340
239
194
866
639
672
802
698
586
955
3354
3447
Wind (km/h)
10
N
10
NE
15
NE
10
W
20
SW
15
SSW
10
W
5
E
10
ENE
5
NW
10
SSW
15
SSW
10
NW
20
NE
25
NE
10
N
5
SSW
45
SW
25
WSW
5
SSE
20
ENE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
off
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
High Tide
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
6:47AM1.42m
7:18PM1.51m
7:23AM1.30m
7:56PM1.39m
Low Tide
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
00:48AM0.28m
12:52PM0.20m
1:27AM0.38m
1:28PM0.32m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:01
7:01
7:01
7:01
7:00
7:00
6:58
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:15
5:15
5:15
5:16
5:16
5:17
5:17
5:19
 mm
Temp °C
18
20
22
20
18
19
18
18
19
17
21
21
18
18
20
20
24
22
19
17
18
Feels °C
16
18
20
19
14
18
17
17
17
15
18
18
17
15
16
17
21
18
12
16
16
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Whale Rock:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest