
Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 14 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, E swell with 1,867 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 11 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 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 Friday (Sep 11) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 14) 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 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 11th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 14th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, let’s be real here. The outlook for Whale Rock over the next couple of weeks is pretty grim. It’s one of those stretches where the ocean just ain’t cooperating. We got no decent swell on the horizon, and when there is any energy, the wind’s gonna have it all chopped up and messy. Expect a long run of poor to marginal conditions, so if you’re hankering for a session, keep your hopes real low.
The first few days, Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th, are practically flat. We’re talking ankle-biters around 1 to 2 feet, with light to moderate cross-shore breezes messing up the surface. The swell energy is weak, reading at 36 to 205. Not worth getting the wetsuit wet for.
We get a little bump of energy over the weekend, but the wind stays nasty. Saturday the 12th sees some short-period east-northeast windswell building to around 4 feet, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy with a lumpy 25-30 km/h breeze. The energy climbs to moderate levels at 451, but it’s all surface junk. Sunday the 13th brings a bigger pulse of long-period south-southwest groundswell, with the swell height around 4 feet and a period of 16 seconds. But that fresh cross-onshore wind at 30 km/h will have it chopped to pieces. The energy jumps into the strong zone, hitting 1155-1162, but it’s gonna be a wild, messy ocean that’s not doing anyone any favors.
Monday the 14th is the standout for size, but it’s a complete mess. A strong pulse of short-period east swell pushes the wave height up to a solid 11 feet. That’s well into expert-only territory, and with a fresh cross-onshore breeze blowing at 35 km/h, it’s going to be a washing machine. The energy is very strong at 2044. I wouldn’t even look at the water. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, give it a miss.
After that, things taper off but the wind continues to be the story. The rest of that week and into the next is a mix of smaller, weaker swells and strong, onshore winds. We see another pulse around the 11-foot mark on Wednesday the 16th, but again it’s with a strong cross-offshore wind making it hollow and nasty. The following weekend sees a drop in size but the wind stays fresh and cross-onshore, keeping the surface lumpy. There is a brief moment on Sunday the 20th with a clean cross-offshore breeze and a 2-foot south-southwest swell, but it’s inconsistent and the energy is only moderate at 517. It’s a fleeting glimmer in a sea of grey.
The second week is much the same story, just with less size. The swell stays small, mostly under 3 feet, and the wind is relentless from the northeast, blowing 25-40 km/h and making everything a bumpy mess. There’s a pulse of south-southwest energy on Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd, but the wind ruins any chance of quality. By the time we get to the 24th and 25th, we’re back to dribbly, weak swell with strong onshore breezes. There’s just nothing to get excited about here. It’s a long, flat, blown-out run. If you’ve got a kite, this might be more your scene, but for a surfboard, you’re better off finding something else to do.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 19°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the E by Sat afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 25°C on Tue morning, min 18°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 | E 9 | SSE 8 | E 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | E 8 | E 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 12 | S 11 | SSW 22 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
41 | 20 | 23 | 252 | 144 | 73 | 86 | 270 | 107 | 255 | 604 | 604 | 846 | 1867 | 101 | 83 | 23 | 26 | 94 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | on | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:09AM1.60m | 3:29PM1.76m | 3:41AM1.67m | 4:00PM1.82m | 4:12AM1.69m | 4:29PM1.83m | 4:40AM1.67m | 4:57PM1.78m | 5:08AM1.61m | 5:23PM1.69m | 5:34AM1.52m | 5:48PM1.56m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:06PM0.14m | 9:14AM0.03m | 9:39PM0.04m | 9:45AM-0.03m | 10:09PM0.00m | 10:14AM-0.05m | 10:38PM0.01m | 10:42AM-0.02m | 11:05PM0.05m | 11:09AM0.05m | 11:31PM0.13m | 11:35AM0.15m | 11:56PM0.24m | ||||||
— | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | |
5:51 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 8 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 29 | 27 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 21 | 28 | 26 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | S 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 7 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | S 11 | ENE 9 |
498 | 371 | 380 | 281 | 166 | 140 | 86 | 121 | 107 | 56 | 604 | 604 | 339 | 175 | 101 | 1685 | 710 | 21 | 528 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | S 6 | ENE 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 14 |
41 | 20 | 14 | 252 | 144 | 30 | 150 | 53 | 40 | 164 | 50 | 15 | 15 | 2 | — | 83 | 23 | 13 | 52 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SE 13 | SSW 16 | S 10 | — | S 11 | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 22 |
21 | 16 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 73 | 59 | 7 | 24 | 55 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 23 | 26 | 94 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | — | SSW 5 | SSW 6 | — | — | E 9 | E 5 | E 6 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 10 | — | — | ENE 10 | ENE 9 |
848 | 587 | — | 49 | 56 | — | — | 270 | 104 | 255 | 501 | 541 | 846 | 1867 | 3790 | — | — | 618 | 1034 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 16 | 16 | 20 | 114 | 20 | 1 | 238 | 289 | 289 | 289 | 643 | 643 | 412 | 434 | 16 | 113 | 1 | 70 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.










