Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 11s period, E swell with 4,876 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 11s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.5m 10s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 14th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sat 19th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let's have a look at what's on offer. To be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any proper paddle surfing at Whale Rock (reef). We've got a run of poor conditions stretching from now all the way through to the middle of next week. While there is some serious energy in the water at times, the wind and swell direction are just not cooperating for this spot. The only real window of interest is the weekend that starts the 20th of September.
Let's start with the bad news. From Monday the 14th right through to Friday the 18th, the surf is mostly messy, lumpy, or blown out. There's a big pulse of energy forecast for the 18th, with a combined energy of 1903 (strong) and waves well over 10ft, but with onshore winds and rain, it's going to be a washing machine. The morning of the 19th sees some very big swell – 13ft – but it's a choppy cross-onshore mess. That's more of a kitesurfing proposition than a surfing one.
Now, for the one true standout. If you can wait, Sunday the 20th of September is when it all comes together. The wind switches to a glassy offshore breeze at just 3 mph. That's a major positive. The swell drops to a still-juicy 8ft from the east at a 10-second period. The combined energy is still strong at 1359 (1359), but with those conditions, it will be an excellent session for experienced surfers. The reef will be handling that east swell well, and with those light winds, it'll be as clean as it gets. This is the best on offer, hands down. Be aware that crowds are possible here.
Monday the 21st shows another pulse of huge swell, 13ft, with a clean cross-offshore wind, but the wind is a near gale at 31 mph, making it a wild one for experts only. The direction also shifts, making it less ideal than the Sunday window. After that, the energy drops away, and the wind stays tricky for the rest of the forecast period through to the end of the month, with nothing else really worth paddling out for.
Right, that's the picture. It’s a long wait, but that Sunday window looks like a beauty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Wed night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed morning, min 15°C on Wed night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 148mm), heaviest during Fri night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Thu night, light winds from the N by Sat night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | E 9 | SSW 13 | E 11 | SW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1849 | 102 | 2077 | 23 | 711 | 561 | 26 | 360 | 232 | 254 | 452 | 1284 | 1258 | 1464 | 2527 | 4876 | 3360 | 2132 | 1734 | 1308 | 802 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 12:13PM0.92m | 00:35AM0.99m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 6:19PM0.79m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | |  |  | | |  | |
 | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — |
 | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:57 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | 13 | 19 | 34 | 18 | 15 | 32 | 13 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 19 | 18 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 23 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | ESE 11 | SSW 14 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
| kJ | 168 | 102 | 2077 | 914 | 711 | 561 | 441 | 356 | 306 | 254 | 242 | 317 | 121 | 138 | 71 | 4030 | 77 | 2132 | 1734 | 1308 | 802 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | — | SSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | E 10 | E 10 | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | — | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 18 | S 12 |
| kJ | 2 | — | 85 | 21 | 40 | 8 | 26 | 121 | 54 | 245 | 296 | — | — | — | 94 | 142 | — | 42 | 13 | 81 | 3 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 12 | SW 19 | SSW 10 | — | — | SW 12 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 11 | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 23 | 14 | 11 | — | — | 23 | 46 | 334 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 21 | 63 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | ENE 10 | SSW 12 | — | NE 3 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 7 | S 7 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | E 11 | E 11 | NE 9 | NE 9 | — | SW 16 |
| kJ | 1849 | 3156 | 199 | — | 3 | — | 97 | 360 | 232 | 158 | 452 | 1284 | 1258 | 1464 | 2527 | 4876 | 3360 | 993 | 777 | — | 710 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 266 | 194 | 39 | 16 | 182 | 0 | 289 | 643 | 39 | 163 | 238 | 289 | 445 | 445 | 445 | 190 | 54 | 412 | 133 | 0 | 115 |
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