
Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 14 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 20 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 12s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 2,162 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 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 (Jul 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 9s. 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 2.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Whale Rock.
Overall, the forecast shows a lot of onshore and cross-shore wind, with small, weak swell for most of the window. The first week is mostly marginal to poor, but there’s a promising pulse of solid groundswell for the second week. The combined swell energy is moderate to weak for most of the run, with a few stronger readings late in the period.
The water temperature is sitting at 70°, which is about average for the time of year.
We kick off on Tuesday the 14th of July, but it’s not worth paddling out. The wind is a moderate cross-onshore from the NE at 12 mph, and the swell is a messy 7 ft from the east at 9 seconds. The combined energy is 747 (moderate), but the conditions are poor. That continues through Wednesday and Thursday – small, weak swell around 4 ft to 6 ft, with cross-off or cross-shore winds, but the scores are all low. It’s just not coming together.
Friday the 17th sees the swell drop further to 4 ft to 4 ft, and the combined energy drops to 370-765 (weak to moderate). Still marginal. Saturday the 18th is a write-off: moderate to fresh cross-onshore winds from the NE at 12-19 mph, and the swell is small and lumpy.
Sunday the 19th of July offers a glimmer. The morning is clear with a light cross-shore breeze from the SSW at 3 mph, and a 4 ft swell from the SE at 13 seconds. The combined energy hits 714 (moderate). By the afternoon, the swell picks up to 5 ft from the SE at 13 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 1095 (moderate). The wind is light, and it’s the best of a bad week. Still, the scores are only marginal.
Monday the 20th is similar, small and light, but nothing special.
Now, Tuesday the 21st of July is the standout. The morning is glassy – zero wind, clear skies, and the combined swell energy is 576 (moderate). The swell is a clean 4 ft from the SSW at 12 seconds. It’s an inconsistent reef break, so don’t expect waves every set, but if you time it right, the conditions will be very good. The afternoon sees a bigger 5 ft swell from the SSW at 15 seconds, but the wind turns cross-onshore from the ENE, making it choppy.
Wednesday the 22nd of July is the big one. The morning has a solid 8 ft swell from the SSW at 16 seconds, with a combined energy of 2861 (very strong). The wind is a light cross-onshore from the ENE, so it’s a bit rippled, but the energy is huge. The afternoon is the real highlight: 7 ft from the SSW at 15 seconds, combined energy of 1948 (strong), and a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW at 3 mph. The conditions are clean. This is for experienced surfers only – 7 ft is pushing it for many, and with that long period (15 seconds), it’ll be powerful and lining up on the reef. Crowds are possible, but the quality will be worth it.
Thursday the 23rd holds strong with an 8 ft SSW swell at 15 seconds in the morning, combined energy of 3339 (very strong), but the wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the SW at 16 mph. It’s still clean, but this is a big, powerful groundswell – only for the experts. The afternoon drops to 8 ft, but the wind turns cross-shore and lumpy.
After that, the swell fades. Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th sees small, poor conditions with onshore winds and weak energy. Monday the 27th of July has a tiny 2 ft swell from the SSW at 14 seconds, but it’s clean with a light cross-offshore wind. Not much on offer.
Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th are poor, with onshore winds and messy surf.
So, the best on offer is the afternoon of Wednesday the 22nd of July. It’s a powerful, clean groundswell on the reef – a proper session for the advanced crew. The glassy morning of Tuesday the 21st is the pick for smaller, cleaner conditions, but it’s inconsistent. Everything else is a waiting game.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NW on Fri night, fresh winds from the NE by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
695 | 786 | 580 | 514 | 676 | 498 | 367 | 288 | 242 | 569 | 380 | 448 | 607 | 400 | 400 | 689 | 580 | 442 | 444 | 551 | 336 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | off | cross | cross-on | off | cross | cross | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | glassy |
High Tide | 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 | 8:04AM1.18m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 2:08AM0.49m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | |
5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:19 | — | 5:19 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 19 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | SE 13 | SE 13 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 |
695 | 786 | 580 | 514 | 676 | 498 | 367 | 288 | 242 | 569 | 380 | 448 | 607 | 400 | 400 | 689 | 580 | 442 | 389 | 551 | 336 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 6 | SSW 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 6 | S 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 9 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 |
27 | 15 | 17 | 8 | 24 | 121 | 133 | 219 | 36 | 196 | 123 | 121 | 92 | 45 | 244 | 94 | 49 | 199 | 444 | 288 | 209 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 10 | SSW 10 | S 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | S 10 | SW 14 | — | S 15 | SW 11 | SW 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 6 | SSW 13 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 5 | ENE 7 |
25 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 103 | 2 | 92 | — | 39 | 30 | 56 | 89 | 67 | 13 | 62 | 32 | 31 | 19 | 17 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 3 | SSW 3 | SSW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | ENE 4 | NE 6 | SSW 4 | SSW 10 | SSW 8 | — | NNE 7 | — | SSW 6 |
— | 3 | 5 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 32 | 129 | 3 | 312 | 244 | — | 5 | — | 31 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 43 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 289 | 289 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 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.











