Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 26 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 28 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 8s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 13s period, SSW swell with 922 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 26 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 16s 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 26) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 16s 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 1.7m 13s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 7s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 02) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 26th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 28th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's check out what's coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.
It's a bit of a mixed bag. We've got some solid energy on the charts, but the wind is going to be the boss for the first week. A lot of these days are looking lumpy with cross and cross-onshore breezes. The real clean-up doesn't happen until we hit Wednesday the 29th of July.
The standout is the morning of Wednesday the 29th of July. The wind is glassy, and we've got a 6ft swell. The period is short, only 8 seconds, so it's going to be a bit fat and soft, but it's the cleanest session we'll see. The combined swell energy is strong (1208). This one's for the experienced crew, as that's too big for beginners. The water is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, at 71°.
The morning of Thursday the 30th of July is another solid option. A 7ft ESE swell, a 9-second period, and a clean cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is moderate to strong (1047). This is still expert territory size-wise, but the waves will have a better shape. Whale Rock can get crowded sometimes, so get there early.
After that, the swell backs off. Friday morning the 31st has some clean waves, but the swell is only 4ft. The following week is mostly quiet and small. But there's a promising, though less certain, window for the morning of Saturday the 8th of August. The wind is light and cross-offshore, and we have a 4ft SSW swell with a nice long 14-second period. The combined energy is moderate (601). That would be a clean, fun size for a wider range of surfers, but it's a long way out, so don't plan your life around it.
The big pulse on the 6th of August is pumping a 8ft swell with massive energy (2964), but the wind is just too strong. That setup is looking more like a kite surfer's dream than a paddle surfer's.
So, the windows to aim for are the mornings of the 29th and 30th of July. That's your best bet.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 57mm), heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Mon afternoon, calm by Wed morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 6 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | E 5 | E 7 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 283 | 237 | 669 | 235 | 867 | 620 | 644 | 521 | 434 | 274 | 703 | 695 | 539 | 321 | 225 | 261 | 165 | 107 | 89 | 238 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 2:31PM1.20m | 2:39AM1.32m | 3:07PM1.32m | 3:13AM1.42m | 3:38PM1.42m | 3:43AM1.50m | 4:08PM1.52m | 4:12AM1.56m | 4:36PM1.59m | 4:40AM1.59m | 5:04PM1.64m | 5:09AM1.59m | 5:33PM1.66m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:28PM0.49m | 8:55AM0.36m | 9:05PM0.39m | 9:26AM0.26m | 9:37PM0.31m | 9:55AM0.17m | 10:08PM0.24m | 10:22AM0.10m | 10:37PM0.19m | 10:49AM0.06m | 11:07PM0.17m | 11:17AM0.05m | 11:37PM0.17m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  |  | |  |  | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — |
 | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 4 | 16 | 19 | 13 | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 16 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 7 |
| kJ | 283 | 128 | 99 | 71 | 867 | 620 | 644 | 521 | 434 | 274 | 703 | 695 | 539 | 321 | 225 | 261 | 165 | 107 | 31 | 238 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | S 6 | ENE 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | E 9 | E 10 | SSW 12 | S 10 |
| kJ | 74 | 237 | 257 | 145 | 119 | 29 | 468 | 437 | 413 | 130 | 325 | 352 | 384 | 316 | 225 | 180 | 79 | 74 | 14 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SE 8 | SSW 16 | ENE 7 | S 11 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | — | — | — | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | SW 12 | E 8 | S 12 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 211 | 106 | 11 | 147 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 47 | 90 | 158 | — | — | — | 69 | 90 | 26 | 73 | 32 | 3 | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | NE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 6 | — | SSE 7 | — | — | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | E 5 | NE 4 |
| kJ | 74 | 351 | 669 | 235 | — | 298 | — | — | 271 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 89 | 19 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 403 | 0 | 54 | 349 | 0 | 238 | 238 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 643 | 0 | 154 | 238 | 37 |
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