
Surf Forecasts:
Yellowsands Beach surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 16s period, SSW swell with 2,281 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Yellowsands Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Yellowsands Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Yellowsands Beach in the next 16 days are 2.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 24th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 7ft (2.2m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Yellowsands Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a look at the next 16 days for Yellowsands Beach. This is a river-mouth setup, so it handles swell a bit differently than a straight beach. We’ve got some action, but it’s a real mixed bag, with a few clean windows and a whole lot of choppy, cross-on wind slop in between.
The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is a full 4° colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a notable chill, so you’ll want a thicker wetsuit or a hood. It’s much colder than usual.
The first real surf to get excited about kicks off Wednesday morning, the 22nd of July. It’s glassy, with a light NE breeze, and a clean 4ft swell from the SSW at 13 seconds. The energy is moderate at 792, and the river mouth will be lining up nicely. The afternoon holds glassy conditions too, with a 3ft SE swell. This is a sweet little window to start the run.
Thursday morning, the 23rd, is still clean with a cross-off WSW wind. The swell holds at 4ft from the SSW, period 12 seconds. It’s a good, workable size. The afternoon gets a bit lumpier with a building cross-off breeze, but the swell drops to 3ft.
Friday the 24th brings a jump in size. The morning has 4ft from the SSW, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is strong at 1963, and it’s clean with a cross-off SW wind. The long period means sets will be powerful and well-spaced, but at a river mouth, it might break a little too straight unless you pick your peak. The afternoon is a different story: 7ft from the SSW at 16 seconds, with a cross wind from the south. The wind is light, but that cross component will put some ripples on the face. The energy is very strong (2328). This is a big, powerful swell, and for a river break, it’s going to be a bit of a handful. Not for beginners.
Saturday the 25th, the wind turns cross-on from the ENE. The swell is 4ft in the morning, dropping to 4ft in the afternoon. It’s surfable, but the wind is starting to mess with the surface. From Sunday the 26th all the way through to the end of July, the script flips. The wind is almost constantly cross-on or onshore, from the NE to E, with speeds from 9 up to 19 mph. The swell hangs around 3ft to 4ft, but it’s choppy and messy. There’s a big spike on Tuesday the 28th with a 7ft from the SSE, but the period is a short 8 seconds and the wind is a strong cross-on. It’s a lumpy, bumpy mess. Kite surfers would have a field day here, but for paddle surfing, it’s a write-off.
The first week of August doesn’t look much better. The 1st and 2nd are still onshore slop, with swell around 5ft to 6ft from the E and ENE. The wind is fresh and gusty, up to 19 mph. Not worth the paddle out.
Then, we get a real standout. Wednesday the 5th of August. The morning is clean with a cross-off NNW wind, and a 5ft swell from the south at 14 seconds. The energy is strong at 1482. But the afternoon is the true gem. The wind drops to absolute glass – zero mph – and the swell is 5ft from the south at 14 seconds. The energy jumps to 2054. This is excellent, clean, powerful surf for experienced surfers. It’s not for beginners at that size, but for anyone with some time in the water, it’s going to be a ripper. The crowd profile here is “sometimes,” so you might have a few mates out, but it won’t be a zoo.
Thursday the 6th of August, the morning has 4ft from the south at 13 seconds, but the wind swings onshore from the east. The afternoon sees a bigger 5ft south swell with a very long 16-second period, but a strong onshore wind from the ENE will ruin it. It’s a shame, because the energy is massive at 1638, but the wind kills it.
So, to wrap it up: the best surf on offer is the glassy Wednesday morning of the 22nd of July for a clean, fun start, and the absolute standout is the glassy, powerful Wednesday afternoon of the 5th of August. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The rest of the period is largely a battle with onshore winds, but if you’re patient, those two windows will deliver.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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 13 | SE 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
461 | 282 | 386 | 447 | 232 | 1134 | 972 | 2281 | 936 | 651 | 485 | 515 | 313 | 192 | 366 | 298 | 213 | 293 | 634 | 623 | 1012 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:00AM1.03m | 9:46PM1.13m | 10:35AM0.96m | 11:25PM1.08m | 12:34PM0.98m | 00:57AM1.11m | 1:46PM1.07m | 1:55AM1.20m | 2:31PM1.18m | 2:37AM1.30m | 3:06PM1.29m | 3:11AM1.39m | 3:37PM1.39m | 3:42AM1.46m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:00PM0.58m | 4:20AM0.64m | 4:26PM0.66m | 6:10AM0.64m | 6:23PM0.66m | 7:31AM0.56m | 7:40PM0.58m | 8:19AM0.45m | 8:27PM0.49m | 8:55AM0.35m | 9:04PM0.39m | 9:25AM0.25m | 9:36PM0.31m | ||||||||
7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 24 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 24 | 27 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 |
Feels °C | 20 | 22 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 19 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SE 12 | S 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ENE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 |
461 | 280 | 386 | 447 | 232 | 84 | 249 | 2281 | 936 | 651 | 485 | 515 | 313 | 192 | 202 | 298 | 213 | 191 | 634 | 623 | 553 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 9 | SSW 18 | ESE 11 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | S 16 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
325 | 282 | 205 | 167 | 110 | 15 | 972 | 47 | 88 | 129 | 123 | 20 | 56 | 131 | 366 | 70 | 37 | 293 | 203 | 474 | 1012 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 21 | SSW 12 | — | SE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | SE 9 | SE 10 | S 16 | ENE 8 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 9 |
6 | 20 | 40 | 54 | 40 | 45 | 328 | — | 29 | 2 | 2 | 31 | 21 | — | 3 | 4 | 131 | 21 | 68 | 15 | 27 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 4 | SW 5 | SSW 5 | SSW 11 | SSW 8 | — | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 7 | — | SW 6 | S 5 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 10 | 56 | 97 | 1134 | 414 | — | — | — | 13 | 45 | 90 | 155 | — | 44 | 43 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 106 | 29 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 277 | 11 | 2 | 260 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 432 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Yellowsands Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Yellowsands Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Yellowsands Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Yellowsands Beach 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 (Yellowsands Beach) 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 Yellowsands Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Yellowsands Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Eastern Cape - Wild Coast, consider staying in East London which is 27 km (17 miles) away. Other places in and around Eastern Cape - Wild Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Butterworth which is 58 km (36 miles) away, Stutterheim and Bisho.










