Whale Rock Surf Break

Lat Long: 31.94° S 29.22° E

Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 04 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whale Rock sea temperature is
20.4°C
0.0° 

Whale Rock surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Whale Rock surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 18s period, S swell with 4,084 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Whale Rock this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Whale Rock in the next 16 days are 2.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 9s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 09) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 2AM (Mon 7th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Whale Rock over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's break down what's coming down the pike.

Straight up, this is a tough stretch at Whale Rock. We're looking at a real lean run for the next week and a half or so, with barely anything to get stoked on. The only time we get a sniff of something half-decent is right at the very tail end of the 16-day window. From now until about September 16, the conditions are pretty much all crossed off the list with poor surf quality. There's a long gap with no real recommendations.

We start off on Friday the 4th with a solid 10ft of S swell, but it's a messy, lumpy mess with a 22 mph cross-onshore wind. The wave energy is very strong (1817), but it's all for nothing with that wind. This pattern of decent size being wrecked by onshore wind just continues day after day. Even when we see a few feet of swell, like Sunday the 7th with a 7ft S swell and very strong energy (2417), it's blowing 25 mph onshore. It's more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.

Things start to look a little more interesting around September 15. Tuesday the 15th sees a 7ft E swell with a light cross-onshore breeze, and the energy is strong (1105). It's still marginal, but it's an improvement. The real standout window, though, is the 16th and 19th.

For the more experienced crew, mark your calendar for Wednesday, September 16. The afternoon sees a solid 12ft SSW swell. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, which ain't perfect, but it's a whole lot cleaner than what we've had. The energy is very, very strong (3453). This is a powerful, long-period groundswell (12 seconds) that will swing into the break. Because Whale Rock is a reef break, that long-period energy should wrap in nicely and offer some proper, heavy barrels. It's only for experts at this size, and given it's usually inconsistent and can get crowded, you'll want to time it right.

Then, on Saturday, September 19, the forecast is showing a massive 13ft SW swell with a gentle cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is off the charts at 7624. This is the biggest pulse of the forecast, and the conditions look the best they'll be for that size. It's huge, heavy, and only for the top-shelf chargers. This is the one to keep an eye on, though it's a long way out so don't cash in your chips just yet. The water temp is around 69°F, which is pretty average for this time of year.

So, the call is: suffer through the crud for the next ten days, stay ready for that Wednesday the 16th if you're a proper expert, and if you're a real glutton for punishment, start dreaming about Saturday the 19th.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Fri morning. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri morning, light winds from the NE by Sat night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Mon afternoon, light winds from the NE by Wed night).

Friday
4
Saturday
5
Sunday
6
Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
3
S
9
3
SSE
10
2.3
SSE
9
1.7
SSE
8
1.7
ESE
8
1.2
SSW
11
1
SSW
10
0.9
SSW
22
2.5
S
18
2.2
S
16
1.7
S
14
1.4
S
13
1
S
12
0.7
S
11
0.5
S
10
0.4
SSE
11
0.3
SSE
10
0.2
SSW
15
0.3
SW
14
0.3
SE
12
0.4
SW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1817
1537
878
400
356
350
231
680
4084
2417
1212
673
287
112
50
40
21
21
32
23
66
Wind (km/h)
35
S
25
SSE
15
ENE
25
NE
25
ENE
15
NE
20
ENE
25
ENE
30
NE
40
NE
40
NE
25
NE
20
NE
30
NE
20
NE
25
NE
30
NE
20
NE
15
SSW
10
SSW
25
SW
Wind State
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
High Tide
8:19PM1.19m
9:14AM1.01m
10:43PM1.09m
12:16PM1.06m
00:52AM1.19m
1:33PM1.26m
1:51AM1.35m
2:19PM1.46m
2:33AM1.49m
2:56PM1.63m
3:09AM1.60m
3:29PM1.76m
3:41AM1.67m
Low Tide
1:46PM0.51m
2:53AM0.62m
3:33PM0.67m
5:39AM0.64m
6:28PM0.62m
7:16AM0.48m
7:43PM0.44m
8:04AM0.30m
8:29PM0.27m
8:41AM0.15m
9:06PM0.14m
9:14AM0.03m
9:39PM0.04m
mod rain
cloud
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
rain showers
light rain
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:16
6:15
6:13
6:13
6:11
6:09
6:09
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:47
5:47
5:49
5:49
5:50
5:51
5:51
 mm
7
1
2
1
3
Temp °C
17
17
16
17
18
17
17
17
18
19
20
18
21
22
20
25
23
22
22
22
19
Feels °C
11
12
12
12
14
14
14
14
13
13
14
13
19
19
17
23
21
21
23
24
20
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Whale Rock:

join our community of surf reporters

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 locationNearest