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

Today12

Poor

1.9mE@13s

22km/h

1.9m@13s

22km/h

Tue13

Poor

1.3mE@9s

22km/h

1.3m@9s

22km/h

Wed14

Poor

1.3mESE@10s

10km/h

1.3m@10s

10km/h

Thu15

Poor

1.3mE@9s

12km/h

1.3m@9s

12km/h

Fri16

Poor

1.4mS@15s

16km/h

1.4m@15s

16km/h

Sat17

Poor

1.6mE@8s

28km/h

1.6m@8s

28km/h

Sun18

Poor

1.2mS@9s

13km/h

1.2m@9s

13km/h

Mon19

Poor

2.1mSSE@11s

18km/h

2.1m@11s

18km/h

Tue20

Poor

2.6mS@11s

23km/h

2.6m@11s

23km/h

Wed21

Poor

1.9mSSE@11s

11km/h

1.9m@11s

11km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: AfternoonAM 21 km/h · PM 21 km/h

Swell

1.9m

E(85°)

Score: 12/25

Period

13s

Medium period swell

Score: 14/25

Wind

22km/h

NE(39°)

Score: 1/25

Weather

25°C

0.0mm42%

First light 4:51amSunrise 5:21amSunset 6:03pmLast light 6:33pm

Windswell1.2m@4sSecondary0.9mConfidence

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

21°

24°

27°

24°

23°

26°

27°

26°

24°

23°

27°

26°

24°

22°

28°

30°

26°

25°

23°

27°

30°

28°

24°

26°

27°

26°

24°

21°

22°

23°

24°

22°

21°

22°

21°

20°

22°

26°

27°

25°

23°

24°

25°

24°

23°

4m2.0

sec

13s

10s

15s

11s

swell

windkm/h

20g40

22g49

25g57

23g52

18g40

22g52

19g45

23g53

29g62

22g52

4g7

9g25

12g33

18g39

14g37

2g3

7g21

12g37

20g55

14g44

14g28

16g39

18g44

16g43

14g37

2g29

32g65

34g73

33g79

24g79

1g21

9g21

16g35

19g44

20g42

27g86

23g97

19g73

14g53

6g42

23g46

24g52

27g57

23g57

12g52

17g62

9g50

10g39

12g33

9g33

tidem

3:43am1.7m

9:42am0.0m

3:57pm1.8m

10:04pm0.0m

4:09am1.6m

10:09am0.1m

4:21pm1.7m

10:30pm0.1m

4:33am1.6m

10:36am0.1m

4:47pm1.6m

5:02am1.5m

11:03am0.3m

5:10pm1.5m

5:30am1.4m

11:30am0.4m

5:30pm1.4m

6:00am1.2m

12:03pm0.6m

6:04pm1.2m

7:00am1.1m

12:45pm0.8m

7:00pm1.1m

2:30am0.8m

9:30am1.0m

4:00pm0.8m

10:30pm1.0m

4:45am0.7m

12:10pm1.2m

6:00pm0.8m

Night

Tide times today

3:43 am

High tide - 1.72m

9:42 am

Low tide - 0.00m

3:57 pm

High tide - 1.83m

10:04 pm

Low tide - 0.04m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Poor

Components

Swell Direction0/25

Swell Size12/25

Swell Period14/25

Wind1/25

Raw Score27/100

Adjustments

Wind History-2

🌊💨 Windswell-3

💨 Gusty Wind-5

⚠️ Weak Component-15

Adjusted Score2/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score2

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

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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