Whale Rock Surf Break

Lat Long: 31.94° S 29.22° E

Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 30 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Whale Rock sea temperature is
20.3°C
0.1° 

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 30 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SE swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 17s period, S swell with 7,611 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period with S 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 Monday (Aug 31) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s 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 3.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 9s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Mon 31st Aug)3.5ft (1.0m) 10s
Best Surf 2AM (Sat 5th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 9s
Most Powerful 2PM (Sun 6th Sep)11ft (3.5m) 17s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s get into it. First up, the short-term picture is pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead before things finally turn on.

Right now, we’re looking at a few days of mush and onshore junk through the 1st and into the 2nd. There's a bit of new energy arriving Wednesday morning, with 5ft of SSW swell and a 15-second period. The energy reading is moderate at 1065, but the wind is cross-onshore and the waves will be lumpy. Not great, not terrible, but enough to get wet if you're desperate. The rest of Wednesday stays rough as that swell builds to 6ft with a 16-second period, but the ENE wind is on it, so it's fairly choppy.

Now, the ugly part: Thursday afternoon through the weekend. By Friday, we get a serious pulse — 16ft of S swell with 11-second period and huge energy readings of 6100 and 6395. That’s a lot of water moving, but the wind is screaming out of the SSE and SE at 19-22 mph, onshore and lumpy. This is not paddle surfing. This is kite-surfing territory at Whale Rock (Big Island). For the average surfer, it’s a mess. Heavy rain too, so you’re not missing much.

Saturday is still big — 13ft and 10ft of SSE swell — but the wind is still on it. The energy remains strong at 2379 and 2649, but the conditions are marginal at best. You'd be battling currents and chop for nothing.

Finally, the standout window arrives on Sunday morning, the 6th of September. The swell is a solid 13ft of S groundswell with a very long 18-second period, and the energy is pumping at 11283. The SW wind is cross-offshore and the guidance shows clean conditions. This is the one to circle. It's big, so this is only for advanced surfers, but if you can handle it, Whale Rock's reef is going to be firing with that south swell lining up with the optimum direction. The period is so long it will push through with serious power. That's our highlight.

Sunday afternoon stays big with 13ft and a 16-second period, but the wind jumps to near-gale strength (34 mph) out of the SW, so it’ll be blown out and unruly. Monday the 7th is a write-off too — huge SSE swell with strong onshore winds, all messy. Tuesday the 8th is still big, 7ft, but the wind stays cross-onshore, so, again, not worth it.

From Wednesday the 9th, things settle down but the magic is gone. We've got 10ft of E swell with moderate energy around 4000, and light cross-shore winds in the afternoon. It looks a bit more manageable, but it's a step down. The E swell isn't the optimum direction for this reef, so expect more lining up on the takeoff but maybe not the same barrels.

The rest of the second week — the 10th through the 14th — is mostly small to medium, cross-onshore winds, and low energy. A few knee-to-waist-high leftovers, but nothing that'll get you out of bed. By the 14th, we're down to 3ft of S swell with weak energy (85), and the wind is on it. The run fades out flat-ish.

The call: You need to be patient. That Sunday morning, the 6th, is the standout — big, clean, powerful south groundswell at the reef. If you're not an expert, sit that one out. Then you've got Wednesday the 9th as a smaller, less exciting but still rideable option. The rest is either too big and blown out, or too small and sloppy.

Water temp is 69°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 20°C on Wed afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 25°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, fresh winds from the SSE by Fri morning).

Monday
31
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Thursday
3
Friday
4
Saturday
5
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
2
0
2
0
0
4
2
1
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
S
10
1.1
E
9
0.6
SSW
8
0.5
S
7
0.3
SW
14
0.6
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
14
1.3
SSW
14
1.3
SSW
14
1
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
12
0.9
SSW
11
2.4
S
7
4
SSE
10
4
SSE
10
3
SE
9
2.1
SE
8
1.6
SE
8
0.9
SSW
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
184
217
51
28
31
120
325
742
722
373
203
214
538
3284
2977
1209
623
338
178
Wind (km/h)
15
WSW
5
SSW
15
E
5
NNW
10
S
5
SSE
10
SSW
25
SSW
15
SSE
20
NE
5
ESE
35
SW
20
SW
30
SSE
25
SSE
5
SE
10
SE
15
ESE
10
SSE
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
cross-on
on
cross-on
High Tide
5:12AM1.64m
5:31PM1.75m
5:42AM1.57m
6:02PM1.67m
6:14AM1.47m
6:36PM1.54m
6:50AM1.33m
7:17PM1.38m
7:37AM1.16m
8:19PM1.19m
9:14AM1.01m
10:43PM1.09m
Low Tide
11:10PM0.05m
11:15AM0.00m
11:41PM0.09m
11:45AM0.07m
00:13AM0.18m
12:18PM0.18m
00:49AM0.31m
12:55PM0.33m
1:36AM0.46m
1:46PM0.51m
2:53AM0.62m
3:33PM0.67m
light rain
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
thunderstorm
heavy rain
mod rain
cloud
light rain
light rain
mod rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:20
6:20
6:18
6:18
6:16
6:15
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:45
5:45
5:45
5:45
5:46
5:47
5:47
 mm
2
1
16
15
7
2
4
7
Temp °C
16
17
18
17
19
19
18
19
20
19
25
21
20
18
17
18
16
17
17
Feels °C
13
17
17
16
19
18
19
17
19
22
26
18
20
13
12
16
16
16
16
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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