The Bluff, Durban, South Africa

Cave Rock Surf Report & Forecast

Reef break
Right-hander
Experts only

7-day forecast

Updated just now Forecast data: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

This week

5–7 ft Today Fair
3–4 ft Wed Poor to Fair
3–5 ft Thu Poor to Fair
4–6 ft Fri Fair
3–5 ft Sat Poor to Fair
5–7 ft Sun Poor to Fair
5–8 ft Mon Fair

Right now 17:29 SAST

4–6 ft Shoulder to head high

Poor to Fair

Swell

1.0 m 8 s

S 188°

2nd swell

0.8 m 7 s

E 92°

Wind

17 km/h

Moderate cross-shore SSW · gusts 37 km/h

Tide

Falling 0.7 m

High 04:37 · Low 22:30

Water

22°C

Rash vest or 1 mm neoprene top

Weather

24°C Mostly sunny

05:20 18:04

Best today: 14:00–18:00 · Fair

Best times to surf

Today · on now 17:00–18:00 Fair 4–6 ft Moderate cross-shore
Fri 16 Oct 06:00–10:00 Fair 3–5 ft Light cross-shore
Tomorrow 06:00–17:00 Poor to Fair 3–4 ft Light cross-onshore

7-day forecast

Cave Rock surf forecast

Local time at the break (SAST, UTC+2)

Loading the swell chart…

Surf height (coloured by rating) Wind: offshore → onshore

Today 13 Oct 5–7 ft Fair AMPM 14–18h Wed 14 Oct 3–4 ft Poor to Fair AMPM 06–17h Thu 15 Oct 3–5 ft Poor to Fair AMPM 07–09h Fri 16 Oct 4–6 ft Fair AMPM 06–10h Sat 17 Oct 3–5 ft Poor to Fair AMPM 06–11h Sun 18 Oct 5–7 ft Poor to Fair AMPM 06–11h Mon 19 Oct 5–8 ft Fair AMPM 06–11h

Tuesday 13 October Today

Fair 5–7 ft 1.6 m @ 8 s SE Best 14:00–18:00 Overcast, 27°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Tuesday 13 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	1.6 m6 s ENE+ 0.8 m 10 s S	8 km/hgusts 22 km/hLight NE	-0.4 mRising	22°CClear
03:00	2–4 ftPoor	1.4 m6 s E+ 0.7 m 10 s S	17 km/hgusts 28 km/hCross SSW	0.7 mRising	22°CMostly clear
06:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.3 m6 s ESE+ 0.6 m 10 s SSE	28 km/hgusts 63 km/hCross SSW	0.5 mFalling	22°CMostly sunny
09:00	5–7 ftPoor to Fair	1.3 m7 s S+ 0.8 m 6 s ESE	26 km/hgusts 56 km/hCross SSW	-0.7 mFalling	25°CMostly sunny
12:00	4–7 ftPoor to Fair	1.4 m8 s SSW+ 0.8 m 7 s E	19 km/hgusts 53 km/hCross S	-0.5 mRising	27°CSunny
15:00Now	4–6 ftFair	1.3 m7 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	13 km/hgusts 35 km/hX-on S	0.7 mRising	25°CPartly cloudy
18:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.0 m8 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	18 km/hgusts 40 km/hCross SSW	0.6 mFalling	23°CPartly cloudy
21:00	4–6 ftFair	1.1 m7 s S+ 0.7 m 8 s SE	18 km/hgusts 38 km/hCross SW	-0.5 mFalling	23°COvercast

Tides High 04:11 Low 10:08 High 16:21 Low 22:30

High 04:11 0.8 m Low 10:08 -0.8 m High 16:21 0.9 m Low 22:30 -0.8 m Now

05:20 18:04 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Wednesday 14 October Tomorrow

Poor to Fair 3–4 ft 1.1 m @ 8 s S Best 06:00–17:00 Overcast, 27°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Wednesday 14 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	3–5 ftFair	1.1 m6 s SSE+ 0.6 m 10 s S	5 km/hgusts 18 km/hLight SW	-0.5 mRising	22°CMostly clear
03:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m7 s SE+ 0.7 m 8 s SE	3 km/hgusts 6 km/hLight WSW	0.5 mRising	21°CPartly cloudy
06:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	1.0 m7 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	6 km/hgusts 11 km/hLight N	0.6 mFalling	21°COvercast
09:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m7 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	6 km/hgusts 21 km/hLight ENE	-0.4 mFalling	26°COvercast
12:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m7 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	11 km/hgusts 32 km/hX-on ENE	-0.5 mRising	27°COvercast
15:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m8 s S+ 0.8 m 7 s E	12 km/hgusts 32 km/hCross NE	0.5 mRising	26°COvercast
18:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.8 m8 s SSE+ 0.8 m 7 s ESE	17 km/hgusts 35 km/hCross NNE	0.7 mFalling	24°COvercast
21:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	0.8 m7 s ESE+ 0.7 m 8 s SSE	15 km/hgusts 33 km/hCross NNE	-0.3 mFalling	23°COvercast

Tides High 04:37 Low 10:33 High 16:48 Low 22:55

High 04:37 0.7 m Low 10:33 -0.7 m High 16:48 0.8 m Low 22:55 -0.6 m

05:19 18:05 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Thursday 15 October

Poor to Fair 3–5 ft 1.1 m @ 8 s ESE Best 07:00–09:00 Overcast, 29°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Thursday 15 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	2–4 ftPoor	0.9 m6 s ESE+ 0.6 m 8 s SE	12 km/hgusts 25 km/hCross NE	-0.5 mRising	23°COvercast
03:00	2–3 ftPoor	1.0 m4 s E+ 0.6 m 8 s ESE	8 km/hgusts 15 km/hLight NNE	0.4 mRising	23°CPartly cloudy
06:00	2–3 ftPoor	1.1 m5 s E+ 0.6 m 8 s S	3 km/hgusts 12 km/hLight NW	0.6 mFalling	23°CSunny
09:00	2–3 ftPoor	1.0 m5 s E+ 0.6 m 9 s S	14 km/hgusts 32 km/hX-on S	-0.2 mFalling	29°CSunny
12:00	3–5 ftPoor	0.8 m6 s ESE+ 0.5 m 9 s SSW	24 km/hgusts 55 km/hCross SSW	-0.5 mRising	27°CMostly sunny
15:00	3–5 ftPoor	0.8 m8 s S+ 0.5 m 8 s SSW	21 km/hgusts 50 km/hCross SSW	0.3 mRising	26°COvercast
18:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m7 s S+ 0.6 m 9 s SSE	18 km/hgusts 45 km/hCross SSW	0.6 mFalling	25°COvercast
21:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	1.0 m8 s S+ 0.6 m 8 s ESE	11 km/hgusts 25 km/hCross SW	-0.2 mFalling	24°CMostly clear

Tides High 05:00 Low 11:04 High 17:10 Low 23:23

High 05:00 0.7 m Low 11:04 -0.6 m High 17:10 0.6 m Low 23:23 -0.6 m

05:18 18:05 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Friday 16 October

Fair 4–6 ft 1.4 m @ 11 s S Best 06:00–10:00 Partly cloudy, 29°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Friday 16 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	3–5 ftFair	1.1 m8 s S+ 0.6 m 6 s E	5 km/hgusts 10 km/hLight SW	-0.5 mRising	23°CClear
03:00	3–5 ftFair	1.1 m9 s S+ 0.6 m 6 s E	3 km/hgusts 5 km/hLight NW	0.1 mRising	21°CClear
06:00	3–5 ftFair	1.1 m10 s S+ 0.6 m 6 s E	8 km/hgusts 14 km/hLight N	0.5 mFalling	22°CSunny
09:00	4–5 ftFair	1.1 m10 s S+ 0.6 m 6 s E	14 km/hgusts 34 km/hX-on NE	-0.1 mFalling	26°CSunny
12:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.2 m11 s S+ 0.6 m 7 s E	19 km/hgusts 45 km/hX-on NE	-0.4 mRising	28°CSunny
15:00	4–6 ftFair	1.3 m10 s S+ 0.6 m 6 s E	16 km/hgusts 41 km/hCross NE	0.2 mRising	29°CPartly cloudy
18:00	4–6 ftFair	1.3 m10 s S+ 0.9 m 4 s E	15 km/hgusts 32 km/hCross NE	0.5 mFalling	27°CMostly sunny
21:00	5–7 ftFair	1.4 m9 s SSE+ 1.2 m 7 s ESE	15 km/hgusts 29 km/hCross NNE	0.0 mFalling	26°CClear

Tides High 05:25 Low 11:30 High 17:36 Low 23:55

High 05:25 0.5 m Low 11:30 -0.4 m High 17:36 0.5 m Low 23:55 -0.4 m

05:17 18:06 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Saturday 17 October

Poor to Fair 3–5 ft 1.6 m @ 6 s E Best 06:00–11:00 Partly cloudy, 31°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Saturday 17 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	4–6 ftFair	1.4 m6 s E+ 1.1 m 9 s SSE	17 km/hgusts 34 km/hCross NNE	-0.4 mRising	26°CClear
03:00	3–5 ftFair	1.4 m6 s ENE+ 1.1 m 10 s S	15 km/hgusts 30 km/hCross NNE	0.1 mRising	24°CClear
06:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	1.4 m6 s ENE+ 1.0 m 10 s S	15 km/hgusts 31 km/hCross NNE	0.4 mFalling	25°CSunny
09:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	1.3 m6 s E+ 0.9 m 10 s S	18 km/hgusts 39 km/hCross NE	0.1 mFalling	29°CSunny
12:00	3–4 ftPoor	1.4 m6 s E+ 0.8 m 10 s S	20 km/hgusts 47 km/hCross NE	-0.2 mRising	31°CMostly sunny
15:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	1.6 m5 s ENE+ 0.8 m 9 s S	11 km/hgusts 46 km/hX-on ENE	0.1 mRising	30°CPartly cloudy
18:00	3–4 ftPoor to Fair	1.5 m5 s ENE+ 0.8 m 9 s S	16 km/hgusts 39 km/hCross SSW	0.4 mFalling	27°CMostly sunny
21:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	1.4 m6 s E+ 0.8 m 10 s S	21 km/hgusts 41 km/hCross SSW	0.1 mFalling	24°CMostly clear

Tides High 06:00 Low 12:03 High 18:08

High 06:00 0.4 m Low 12:03 -0.2 m High 18:08 0.4 m

05:16 18:07 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Sunday 18 October

Poor to Fair 5–7 ft 1.3 m @ 9 s SE Best 06:00–11:00 Overcast, 25°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Sunday 18 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.2 m6 s E+ 0.8 m 9 s S	21 km/hgusts 43 km/hCross SSW	-0.2 m	23°CMostly clear
03:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.0 m6 s ESE+ 0.7 m 7 s S	21 km/hgusts 43 km/hCross SW	-0.1 mRising	23°CPartly cloudy
06:00	4–7 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m8 s S+ 0.5 m 6 s SSE	21 km/hgusts 43 km/hCross SW	0.2 m	23°COvercast
09:00	5–7 ftPoor to Fair	1.1 m8 s S+ 0.6 m 8 s S	24 km/hgusts 52 km/hCross SSW	0.1 mFalling	25°COvercast
12:00	4–6 ftPoor	1.3 m6 s S+ 0.7 m 11 s S	24 km/hgusts 58 km/hX-on S	-0.1 mFalling	25°COvercast
15:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	1.2 m6 s SSE+ 0.8 m 10 s S	18 km/hgusts 53 km/hX-on S	0.0 mRising	25°COvercast
18:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	0.9 m8 s ESE+ 0.8 m 9 s SSE	12 km/hgusts 41 km/hX-on S	0.2 mRising	23°COvercast
21:00	3–5 ftFair	0.9 m9 s SE+ 0.8 m 9 s SE	8 km/hgusts 27 km/hCross SW	0.1 mFalling	23°COvercast

Tides Low 00:38 High 06:45 Low 12:50 High 19:00

Low 00:38 -0.3 m High 06:45 0.2 m Low 12:50 -0.1 m High 19:00 0.2 m

05:14 18:07 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Monday 19 October

Fair 5–8 ft 2.5 m @ 9 s S Best 06:00–11:00 Thunderstorms, 24°C

3-hourly surf forecast for Monday 19 October (local time, SAST)
Time	Surf	Swell	Wind	Tide	Weather
00:00	3–4 ftFair	1.0 m9 s SSW+ 0.8 m 7 s E	5 km/hgusts 20 km/hLight S	-0.1 mFalling	23°COvercast
03:00	3–4 ftFair	1.0 m9 s SSW+ 0.8 m 7 s E	3 km/hgusts 11 km/hLight S	-0.1 mRising	22°CDrizzle
06:00	3–5 ftFair	1.0 m8 s SSE+ 0.8 m 8 s ESE	4 km/hgusts 11 km/hLight NE	0.0 mRising	22°COvercast
09:00	3–5 ftFair	0.9 m7 s SE+ 0.7 m 10 s S	4 km/hgusts 21 km/hLight NE	0.2 m	24°CThunderstorms
12:00	3–5 ftPoor to Fair	0.8 m6 s SSE+ 0.7 m 10 s SSW	13 km/hgusts 29 km/hCross SSW	0.1 mFalling	23°CLight showers
15:00	4–6 ftPoor to Fair	0.7 m7 s SE+ 0.6 m 10 s S	24 km/hgusts 49 km/hCross SSW	0.0 mFalling	21°CDrizzle
18:00	5–8 ftPoor to Fair	1.0 m8 s S+ 0.6 m 8 s SSE	28 km/hgusts 88 km/hCross SW	0.0 mRising	19°CDrizzle
21:00	7–10 ftFair	1.8 m8 s S+ 0.5 m 8 s E	27 km/hgusts 101 km/hCross SW	0.1 mRising	18°CDrizzle

Tides Low 01:50 High 09:30 Low 16:10 High 22:30

Low 01:50 -0.2 m High 09:30 0.2 m Low 16:10 0.0 m High 22:30 0.1 m

05:13 18:08 Modelled tide — not for navigation. Heights relative to mean sea level.

Spot guide

Surfing Cave Rock

Cave Rock on Durban's Bluff is one of South Africa's heaviest right-hand reef breaks, a world-class wave that has tested top surfers for decades. The landmark rock that gave the spot its name has long gone, but the reef remains, throwing thick, spitting tubes when a solid swell lines up.

There are two main sections: the Pool, which peels in front of a tidal pool, and the Rock, a heavier and more critical right. It works best on southerly groundswells, with light north-westerly land breezes blowing offshore in the mornings, and it can hold plenty of size.

The reef is shallow and unforgiving and the paddle-out needs careful timing, so this is a wave for experts only. On good days the lineup is packed with experienced locals; if you are not sure, watch from the beach and enjoy one of the best shows in Durban.

Map & nearby

Breaks near Cave Rock

All South Africa spots

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