
Surf Forecasts:
Boneyards surf forecast from 6 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 5,694 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s 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 Friday (Aug 07) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Boneyards in the next 16 days are 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright crew, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's coming. We've got a solid run of groundswell, but the conditions are going to be a mixed bag, so you'll have to be smart about it.
The real action starts with a big SW groundswell. The highlight of the whole outlook is without a doubt Friday morning, August 7th. We're looking at a clean 12ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, and the wind is a light offshore breeze. That's a recipe for some proper, powerful waves. The water is sitting at 58°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so bring a thick wetsuit. This is the pick of the entire forecast.
Before that, on Thursday, August 6th, we see the first pulse of this swell arrive at 12ft, but the wind is a cross-off breeze at 15 mph. It's not terrible, but it won't be the clean, lined-up perfection of the next morning. The combined energy is already pumping at 3585 (moderate-strong).
Friday afternoon, August 7th, the swell holds at 12ft with a 15-second period, and the energy jumps to 5438 (strong), but the wind swings cross-on. It's still surfable, but you'll be dealing with some bumps.
Saturday, August 8th, starts with a drop to 10ft, but the wind is cross-on and the energy is lower at 2639 (moderate). The afternoon looks better with 12ft and clean cross-off conditions, but the wind picks up to 15 mph.
Sunday, August 9th, is a write-off. The swell is big, hitting 13ft in the morning, but the wind is howling at 25 mph. The energy is 4156 (strong), but it's going to be a messy, blown-out mess. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session.
Monday, August 10th, the swell drops right back to 5ft. The wind goes offshore, but it's a strong 18-25 mph breeze. It'll be clean, but really hard work to paddle into and the energy is low (596-1018). Tuesday, August 11th, is a bit better with a 5ft SSW swell, a lighter offshore wind, and a 12-second period. The energy is still low at 770.
Then we get a massive spike in period on Tuesday afternoon, August 11th. The swell drops to 2ft, but it's a 24-second deep groundswell from the SW. That's a very long period, which will wrap nicely into the point and reef, but the size is tiny. The energy is still moderate at 1005. It's a classic case of "long period, small waves."
Wednesday, August 12th, and Thursday, August 13th, bring another solid pulse. The swell is 7ft to 8ft from the SW with a 17-18 second period. The winds are light and cross-off. This is excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers. The combined energy is very strong at 3227 to 4257. This is another standout window.
From August 14th onwards, the swell drops and the wind direction gets messy. The 15th and 16th are onshore, and the 18th of August has a ridiculously strong 28 mph offshore wind that makes it impossible to paddle into. The 20th and 21st of August see the swell completely fade to 2ft-3ft, with poor conditions.
So, to sum it up: the best waves are Friday morning, August 7th, and Wednesday/Thursday morning, August 12th & 13th. The long period swells will be best at Boneyards itself, a reef setup that handles that energy well. It can get crowded there sometimes, so get in early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Fri afternoon, strong winds from the SSE by Sun morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ESE on Mon night, light winds from the SSE by Tue afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | ||||||||||||||
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 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
3585 | 3502 | 4684 | 5438 | 3720 | 2639 | 5477 | 4549 | 4156 | 3293 | 2243 | 568 | 386 | 1172 | 666 | 582 | 2767 | 3097 | 2715 | 2379 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:47PM1.23m | 9:50AM1.05m | 10:22PM1.20m | 11:32AM1.09m | 11:55PM1.25m | 12:49PM1.22m | 1:05AM1.35m | 1:45PM1.37m | 2:00AM1.45m | 2:32PM1.51m | 2:47AM1.53m | 3:14PM1.62m | 3:29AM1.56m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:12PM0.48m | 3:28AM0.45m | 3:46PM0.55m | 5:10AM0.43m | 5:36PM0.51m | 6:33AM0.34m | 6:57PM0.39m | 7:32AM0.21m | 7:55PM0.25m | 8:20AM0.10m | 8:44PM0.13m | 9:02AM0.02m | 9:27PM0.05m | |||||||
— | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | |
6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 24 |
Feels °C | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | — | SSW 14 | S 14 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
3585 | 3502 | 4684 | 5438 | 3720 | 2639 | 5477 | 4549 | — | 37 | 32 | 568 | 386 | 1172 | 666 | 385 | 2767 | 3097 | 2715 | 2379 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 13 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | SW 24 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SW 21 |
9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 62 | 32 | 14 | 375 | 99 | 39 | 582 | 371 | 117 | 149 | 880 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 13 | SSW 13 | — | WSW 26 | WSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | SE 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 257 | — | 65 | 38 | 242 | 130 | 50 | 132 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSE 8 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — |
— | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4156 | 3293 | 2243 | 644 | 284 | 492 | 404 | 550 | 904 | 412 | 475 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 52 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 609 | 1012 | 2578 | 25 | 32 | 32 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











