Surf Forecasts:
Boneyards surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 11s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,485 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 11s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Boneyards this week:
The surf forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Boneyards in the next 16 days are 2.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Boneyards.
Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. The next few days are pretty touch-and-go—nothing firing, waves are small and a bit messy. You’ll be scratching for anything clean until we hit Sunday the 23rd. That’s when a solid SW groundswell rolls in, pushing about 8ft, with a clean cross-off SE breeze. That’s your first real window, and it’s got some punch. It’s not perfect—plenty of water moving—but for experienced surfers, it’s worth getting wet. The energy is moderate (1812) and the water is running a touch colder than normal for this time of year, about 58°F, so maybe grab a thicker wetsuit.
Monday the 24th backs off a bit, still around 6ft in the morning but the wind picks up, making it bumpy. Then Tuesday the 25th sees a bigger pulse—8ft SW with a 14-second period—but that’s when the wind really howls, hitting 25–30 mph. It’s clean-ish but blown out, so I’d skip it unless you’re chasing the power.
Wednesday the 26th is a nice little reset. Swell drops to around 4ft but it’s clean with a light offshore ESE breeze. Glassy, tidy waves—great for getting your fix without a fight. Energy is moderate (960). Thursday the 27th turns poor again—northerly wind, little swell, so it’s a rest day.
Then we hit a proper run from Friday the 28th. That morning is small, but by the afternoon, a fresh WSW swell (5ft, 14s) arrives with a light offshore breeze. It picks up into the weekend: Saturday the 29th is messy with a strong cross-onshore, so no good there. But Sunday the 30th is a monster—16ft SW swell, but it’s all over the place with onshore wind. Not for the faint-hearted, and only for the brave. Later that afternoon it settles a touch, but it’s still huge and chunky.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday the 31st brings it all together—8ft of WSW groundswell, clean with a light SSE cross-off, and the energy is strong (1685). That’s a proper day, with some real push. Then Tuesday the 1st of September is the standout of the first week—8ft SW swell with a 13-second period, light offshore ESE wind, and glassy conditions. The energy is strong (2467) and the waves will be lined up and powerful. This is the one to circle—great for experienced surfers, and the kind of day that makes you remember why you surf.
After that, Wednesday the 2nd gets messy with a strong onshore, so we cool off. But then Thursday the 3rd brings a serious pulse—14–16ft of WSW swell, clean-ish but borderline huge. The energy is very strong (5196–13056). It’s too big for most, and the wind is fresh, but it’s got a lot of power. Friday the 4th is similar—still big and clean-ish, but you need to know what you’re doing.
Saturday the 5th is a mixed bag—one of those days with rain showers and a cross-shore wind, but the swell holds at 10–13ft. Then Sunday the 6th looks like the biggest day of the whole window—20ft of SW swell with a 16-second period, clean but absolutely massive (energy 17138). That’s beyond beginner, beyond intermediate—only for the hardcore, and even then, you’d want to be careful. If you’re not a big-wave specialist, give it a wide berth.
So, the real highlights: Sunday the 23rd and Tuesday the 1st of September. The 1st looks the most complete—good size, clean, offshore, and plenty of energy. The 23rd is a solid warm-up. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or just way too big.
Boneyards is inconsistent, so when it turns on, it’s worth the wait. Keep an eye on that Tuesday—it’s the one.
Stay salty.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, strong winds from the SE by Tue morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SE on Tue night, light winds from the ENE by Wed night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Sat 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
817 | 2250 | 1765 | 1631 | 1280 | 801 | 430 | 2247 | 2402 | 1941 | 987 | 578 | 447 | 274 | 358 | 291 | 173 | 310 | 800 | 983 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross |
High Tide | 00:06AM1.03m | 12:59PM1.06m | 1:02AM1.13m | 1:37PM1.18m | 1:41AM1.24m | 2:08PM1.31m | 2:13AM1.33m | 2:37PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | 3:05PM1.51m | 3:14AM1.47m | 3:33PM1.59m | 3:44AM1.50m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:07PM0.66m | 6:46AM0.52m | 7:07PM0.56m | 7:27AM0.41m | 7:45PM0.45m | 7:59AM0.31m | 8:17PM0.34m | 8:27AM0.21m | 8:46PM0.25m | 8:54AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.17m | 9:22AM0.09m | 9:44PM0.11m | |||||||
— | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 22 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 13 | 16 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | S 10 | WSW 14 | WSW 15 |
817 | 2250 | 1765 | 1631 | 1280 | 801 | 430 | 2247 | 2402 | 1941 | 987 | 578 | 447 | 259 | 358 | 291 | 198 | 264 | 800 | 983 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | — | — | SSW 13 | SW 10 | W 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | SE 8 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | S 10 | SSE 10 |
26 | 154 | 47 | — | — | 68 | 304 | 154 | 53 | 204 | 286 | 256 | 239 | 274 | 107 | 193 | 173 | 310 | 210 | 136 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | WSW 12 | SE 8 | SSW 11 | WSW 14 | ESE 10 | SSE 13 |
— | 182 | — | — | — | — | 186 | — | — | — | — | 126 | 161 | 157 | 215 | 73 | 135 | 210 | 55 | 95 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | NNW 3 | NW 3 | — | SE 4 | SE 5 | NNW 4 |
— | — | — | — | 3 | 7 | 11 | 60 | 186 | 290 | 656 | 580 | 659 | 380 | 2 | 5 | — | 16 | 31 | 29 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 25 | 411 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Boneyards Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Boneyards provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Boneyards can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Boneyards 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 (Boneyards) 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 Boneyards 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 Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near Boneyards, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 26 km (16 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Robben Island which is 37 km (23 miles) away, Bellville, Kayamnandi and Stellenbosch.











