Surf Forecasts:
Whale Rock surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 8s period, S swell with 1,541 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 9 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 14s 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 (Aug 09) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. 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 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.3m 11s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 9th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty.
Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, and we’re not looking at much decent surf for a while. The swell energy we’ve got directed at us right now is pretty moderate (568), but the wind and conditions aren’t doing us any favors. The water temp is running about average for this time of year, so no worries there, but you’ll need to pick your moments.
The first real sign of life isn’t until Monday the 17th. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the east with an 11-second period, and the morning is the standout – glassy conditions and a light easterly breeze. That’s going to be the cleanest window we see in this whole stretch. The combined energy is strong (784), and while it’s a reef break, the offshore WNW wind is ideal. It’s an advanced wave, and it’s inconsistent, so you’ll need to be patient. But that Monday morning looks like the best on offer, by far. The afternoon gets a bit of cross-on wind, but still surfable.
Before that, the weekend is pretty poor. Saturday the 15th has some small, choppy stuff, and Sunday the 16th is similar – nothing worth paddling out for. The Tuesday and Wednesday after that drop off again, with smaller swell and cross-shore winds. The energy is weak (479 and 394), and the waves are just not shaping up.
Looking further out, Thursday the 20th has a bit more push – 4ft from the SSW with a 13-second period. The morning is clean with a cross-off breeze, and the energy is strong (977). It’s promising, but it’s more than a week out, so treat it as a possibility rather than a certainty. The wind picks up hard in the afternoon, though, so it’s a morning-only call.
After that, it fades again. The following weekend and into the 23rd and 24th, we’ve got smaller swell and mostly onshore or cross winds. A couple of those days have long-period energy (17-19 seconds), but the waves are small and the conditions are messy. Not worth getting too excited about.
So, bottom line: mark your calendar for Monday the 17th. That’s the one that’s worth getting up early for. The rest is a waiting game.
Catch you out there.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Sun night. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat night, min 14°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Sun night, light winds from the S by Mon night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Wed morning, fresh winds from the NE by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | E 10 | E 10 | E 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 253 | 561 | 257 | 1429 | 871 | 353 | 176 | 815 | 1308 | 358 | 413 | 299 | 307 | 276 | 258 | 251 | 190 | 371 | 371 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 00:36AM1.24m | 1:28PM1.20m | 1:50AM1.37m | 2:25PM1.38m | 2:42AM1.50m | 3:10PM1.55m | 3:24AM1.61m | 3:49PM1.69m | 4:02AM1.67m | 4:26PM1.78m | 4:36AM1.68m | 5:00PM1.80m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:11AM0.48m | 7:30PM0.46m | 8:12AM0.32m | 8:30PM0.31m | 8:57AM0.17m | 9:17PM0.18m | 9:35AM0.05m | 9:57PM0.08m | 10:10AM-0.03m | 10:33PM0.04m | 10:42AM-0.06m | 11:07PM0.05m | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | |
 | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | 5:30 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — |
mm | — | — | — | 20 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 17 |
Feels °C | 17 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | E 9 | E 9 | SE 8 | SE 7 | S 11 | SSW 13 | S 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | E 10 | ESE 9 | SSW 16 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 7 | E 7 |
| kJ | 147 | 561 | 257 | 45 | 44 | 353 | 176 | 815 | 1308 | 283 | 413 | 216 | 307 | 259 | 240 | 154 | 190 | 51 | 302 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 8 | SSW 8 | SSW 14 | SE 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SE 8 | SSW 18 | SSW 21 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SW 16 | SSW 15 |
| kJ | 253 | 140 | 86 | 113 | 40 | 154 | 67 | 465 | 201 | 283 | 193 | 143 | 109 | 276 | 258 | 69 | 86 | 62 | 22 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | NE 7 | NE 8 | E 9 | SSW 11 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | S 9 | S 19 |
| kJ | 11 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 2 | 42 | 107 | 70 | 85 | 78 | 32 | 44 | 69 | 68 | 47 | 251 | 129 | 6 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 4 | — | SSW 4 | S 9 | SSE 8 | — | — | SE 7 | — | SE 8 | E 9 | E 10 | — | — | E 8 | — | — | E 10 | E 7 |
| kJ | 16 | — | 26 | 1429 | 871 | — | — | 147 | — | 358 | 173 | 299 | — | — | 205 | — | — | 371 | 371 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 39 | 445 | 594 | 274 | 20 | 1 | 643 | 998 | 16 | 37 | 290 | 37 | 194 | 290 | 3 | 190 | 289 | 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)
Latest Updates
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