Kool-a-Sun Sunscreen

Loch Ness Surf Report

← All surf spots

SURF RATING
FAIR
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: overhead waves on moderate-period swell, though onshore wind is adding chop.
WAVE
2.6 m
SWELL
2.2m @ 9s
WIND
20 km/h Onshore
WATER
17.4°C

★★★☆☆

Fair — worth a paddle: overhead waves on moderate-period swell, though onshore wind is adding chop.

Swell: 2.2 m @ 9 s (SSW)

Wave height: 2.6 m

Wind: 20 km/h SE Onshore

Sea temp: 17.4 °C · Wetsuit: 3/2 mm full wetsuit

Best window today: 18:00–20:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
41% match
Today: rideable but not classic
🌊 Wave type
Reef break (breaks over a reef ledge)
🧭 Best swell
S groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
N offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Intermediate–advanced
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.

🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now

Onshore windwave direction
  • Mid-period SSW swell at 9s is wrapping into the bank
  • 19 km/h onshore wind is adding chop
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Loch Ness surf mission card
Save or screenshot, then send it to your crew on WhatsApp.

🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 12km/h Cross01:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 16km/h Cross02:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 19km/h Cross03:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 16km/h Cross04:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 15km/h Cross05:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 17km/h Cross06:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 20km/h Onshore07:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 23km/h Onshore08:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 22km/h Onshore09:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 21km/h Onshore10:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 19km/h Onshore11:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 19km/h Onshore12:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 28km/h Onshore13:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 28km/h Onshore14:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 28km/h Onshore15:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 23km/h Onshore16:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 20km/h Onshore17:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 13km/h Onshore18:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 6km/h Onshore19:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.7m overhead · 12km/h Onshore20:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.8m overhead · 20km/h Onshore21:00 — Fun (★★★) · 3.0m well overhead · 26km/h Onshore22:00 — Fun (★★★) · 3.2m well overhead · 22km/h Onshore23:00 — Fun (★★★) · 3.4m well overhead · 23km/h Onshorenow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Bigger shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
3/2 mm full wetsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
🦶 Bring
Booties for the rocks
⚠️ Onshore chop
🌅Dawn window:Best quality, coolest — usually the quietest crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
FriSatSunMonTue0.0m1.9m3.7m01633now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Thu 3 Sep ★★★☆☆ 2.6 m 9 s SW 28 km/h Onshore
Fri 4 Sep ★☆☆☆☆ 3.6 m 8 s SSE 24 km/h Onshore
Sat 5 Sep ★★★★☆ 2.3 m 8 s SSW 20 km/h Cross
Sun 6 Sep ★★★★☆ 2.9 m 10 s SSW 28 km/h Cross
Mon 7 Sep ★★★★☆ 3.7 m 11 s SSW 24 km/h Cross
Tue 8 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 2.3 m 7 s E 4 km/h Onshore
Wed 9 Sep ★★★★☆ 1.4 m 9 s SW 10 km/h Cross

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00H 07:03L 12:57H 19:23now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 06:31 · Sunset 18:01 · Peak UV 0

Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 30, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.

Shop SPF 30 sunscreen →

Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Thu, 03 Sep 2026 06:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Loch Ness

Crayonised aerial map of Loch Ness
The reef
Rocks & reef
Beach
Take-off / peakHazard rocksPeak

Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.

About Loch Ness — Surf Local Knowledge

Loch Ness sits at Noordhoek, a small residential stretch just east of Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) on the western shore of Algoa Bay. The break takes its name from the jagged line of reef rocks that surface like a spine when the swell drops, and it shares this rocky coastline with neighbouring peaks such as Noordhoek Rights and the hollow left at Rocky's.

This is an exposed reef break, working mainly as a right-hander over a shallow rocky shelf. It favours a south to south-west groundswell in the head-high to overhead range, cleaned up by an offshore north-west wind, and comes into its own through the winter months, June often being the pick. It handles most tides but a low pushing to mid is generally best. Best suited to intermediate and advanced surfers; watch for exposed rocks, sea urchins, rip currents and the ever-present chance of sharks.

🦏 This site helps fund pangolin conservation a safe permanent home for the worlds most-trafficked mammal. Support the mission