Reef

right

Level 6/10

Cave Rock

Durban, South Africa

⚠️Shallow😮‍💨Hold-downs🪨Rocks🪸Sharp reef

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Cave Rock is Durban's heaviest wave—a powerful right-hander that breaks in two distinct sections: The Pool and The Rock. When solid Indian Ocean swells hit this stretch of coast, Cave Rock produces thick, hollow barrels that rival anything in South Africa. The wave has a dedicated local crew and a history of heavy sessions. Named for the famous rock formation and sea cave that marks the takeoff zone, this is Durban surfing at its most intense.

Cave Rock surf forecast

Model forecast for swell, wind and tide.

10-Day Forecast

Today19

Poor

2.6mESE@10s

11km/h

2.6m@10s

11km/h

Sun20

Poor

1.8mESE@9s

11km/h

1.8m@9s

11km/h

Mon21

Poor

1.3mE@9s

15km/h

1.3m@9s

15km/h

Tue22

Poor

1.1mS@10s

10km/h

1.1m@10s

10km/h

Wed23

Poor

1.4mSE@10s

16km/h

1.4m@10s

16km/h

Thu24

Poor

0.9mSSE@10s

15km/h

0.9m@10s

15km/h

Fri25

Poor

1.8mSSE@11s

26km/h

1.8m@11s

26km/h

Sat26

Poor

1.7mESE@10s

22km/h

1.7m@10s

22km/h

Sun27

Poor

2.0mSSE@12s

17km/h

2.0m@12s

17km/h

Mon28

Poor

1.3mS@8s

11km/h

1.3m@8s

11km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 5 km/h · PM 17 km/h

Swell

2.6m

ESE(121°)

Score: 23/25

Period

10s

Medium period swell

Score: 2/25

Wind

11km/h

NNE(31°)

Score: 9/25

Weather

20°C

0.0mm59%

First light 5:19amSunrise 5:49amSunset 5:50pmLast light 6:20pm

Windswell0.2m@1sSecondary0.4mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

6am

9am

12pm

3pm

6pm

°C

16°

19°

22°

20°

18°

22°

23°

22°

19°

23°

24°

23°

22°

19°

22°

23°

21°

19°

22°

23°

24°

23°

21°

23°

22°

21°

22°

24°

23°

20°

22°

25°

26°

25°

22°

24°

22°

19°

21°

20°

3m1.5

sec

10s

11s

10s

12s

swell

windkm/h

5g10

5g13

12g29

18g40

16g35

8g16

9g23

16g37

13g30

9g16

8g14

13g30

18g41

18g40

13g31

12g23

12g27

8g22

10g27

8g18

15g30

18g40

21g50

15g47

7g33

2g7

7g17

16g37

25g56

24g55

25g50

18g40

25g55

29g63

29g62

19g45

20g44

23g52

24g56

21g54

8g64

4g62

19g62

30g63

24g66

11g24

7g21

6g26

15g31

18g36

tidem

12:50am0.6m

7:10am1.0m

1:10pm0.8m

7:30pm1.0m

2:30am0.8m

12:00pm1.0m

6:00pm0.8m

6:30am0.7m

1:04pm1.2m

7:04pm0.7m

1:00am1.2m

7:06am0.5m

1:30pm1.4m

7:35pm0.6m

1:34am1.4m

7:34am0.4m

1:54pm1.6m

8:02pm0.4m

1:58am1.6m

8:01am0.3m

2:16pm1.7m

8:26pm0.2m

2:26am1.6m

8:24am0.1m

2:41pm1.9m

8:50pm0.1m

2:54am1.8m

8:51am0.1m

3:09pm2.0m

9:17pm0.1m

3:16am1.9m

9:20am0.0m

3:34pm2.1m

9:46pm0.0m

3:50am1.9m

9:48am0.0m

4:04pm2.1m

10:14pm0.1m

Night

Tide times today

12:50 am

Low tide - 0.60m

7:10 am

High tide - 1.01m

1:10 pm

Low tide - 0.75m

7:30 pm

High tide - 1.02m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction0/25

Swell Size23/25

Swell Period2/25

Wind9/25

Raw Score34/100

Adjustments

Wind History-2

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-10

Adjusted Score17/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score17

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to DUR, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SSW (202°)
Direction range: 180° - 225°
Size range: 1.8m - 3.7m
Ideal size: 2.7m - 3.2m
Height multiplier: 0.97×
Ideal period: 14s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: WNW (292°)
Offshore range: 247° - 337°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: all

Difficulty

6/10

Crowd level

3/10

👥 Spring Break (Sep 26 – Oct 6) — expect extra crowds

Access: Shore/paddle

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Cave Rock?

The Cave Rock profile does not specify a preferred tide stage. That does not mean tide has no effect: check local conditions alongside swell and wind.

What wind direction is offshore at Cave Rock?

The Cave Rock profile uses wind from WNW (292°) as its preferred direction, with an offshore range of 247° to 337°. Wind speed matters too: light winds outside that range can still produce surfable conditions, while strong offshore winds can make takeoffs difficult.

What swell size and direction work best at Cave Rock?

The Cave Rock scoring profile favors swell from SSW (180° to 225°), a swell-height range of 1.8m to 3.7m, and a reference period of 14s. These are model inputs, not guaranteed breaking-wave heights or a promise that the surf will suit every ability.

When is the best time of year to surf Cave Rock?

The main season at Cave Rock is Apr-Sep. A secondary window runs Mar, Oct. ~21% June clean (30-50 days/yr)

How do I get to Cave Rock?

The spot profile lists DUR as a nearby airport. The estimated road transfer is 20 minutes. Shore/paddle

What kind of wave is Cave Rock?

Cave Rock is a reef break, a right-hander. Difficulty is rated 6/10.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Sep

Secondary: Mar, Oct

~21% June clean (30-50 days/yr)

Getting There

Airport

DUR

Drive time

20 min

Data quality

community

🤙 Strike Specialist

The Strike Specialist in South Africa is Llewellyn Whittaker. Get in touch with them for the best chance of scoring the best waves in South Africa — and don't forget to tell 'em Barrel D sent ya. He also offers high-level surf coaching, so you can level up while you strike.

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