
Surf Forecasts:
Boneyards surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 18s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 23 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 10,025 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s 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 Thursday (Jul 23) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 19s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Boneyards in the next 16 days are 4.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 7s period and expected on Monday (Jul 27) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 15ft (4.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s dive into the charts for the next couple of weeks. The only game in town is Boneyards, a reef setup that’s going to see some serious action, but it’s for the experienced crew only. The water is sitting at 60° , which is bang on average for this time of year, so normal wettie for the season.
We kick off proper on Thursday the 23rd of July. The afternoon sees a solid 8ft SW swell rolling in with a 12-second period and a moderate offshore breeze from the SE. The combined energy is a beefy 3390 (moderate-strong) – this is proper, powerful stuff. The reef will be handling it, but it’s not for the faint of heart. This is an expert-only wave.
Friday the 24th is the absolute standout. The morning goes glassy, dead calm, with a bigger 12ft SW groundswell packing a 14-second period. The energy jumps to 5380 (strong). That’s a heavy, clean, freight-train wave. This is the best session on offer – big, clean, and powerful. The afternoon stays clean but the wind shifts cross-off, dropping the swell slightly to 10ft, still a good wave but the morning is the one.
Saturday the 25th is still very good, but a step down. Morning has 7ft SW at 12 seconds with offshore wind, clean and punchy. The energy is 2139 (moderate). The afternoon gets a little bumpy with cross-off winds, but it’s still 8ft.
Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th start to get messy. Sunday morning is clean with cross-off winds and 7ft SW, but Monday morning sees a big jump in wind to 31 mph, making conditions lumpy. The swell hits 8ft with a very long 15-second period, energy of 3056 (strong) – but the quality is marginal. By Monday afternoon, the wind is howling at 31 mph and the swell rockets to 13ft, energy 13060 (very strong). That’s a washing machine for experts only, and honestly, with that kind of wind and a beach-reef setup, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day.
The wind stays brutal on Tuesday the 28th with 31 mph offshore winds and 8ft SW. It’s pure survival. The energy is still 3054 (strong) but the near-gale winds make it near impossible to paddle into.
Things settle down from Wednesday the 29th, but the swell drops. We get clean 6ft SW on Wednesday morning, dropping to 6ft by the afternoon. Energy is down to 1182 (moderate). It’s clean but not the power of the weekend.
The first week of August keeps the smaller, cleaner theme. Thursday the 30th of July is glassy with 4ft SW, and Friday the 31st holds 4ft SW with offshore wind. Then Saturday the 1st of August picks up a little to 5ft and 6ft with glassy conditions – that’s a nice small-wave session. The energy is 851 (moderate).
Sunday the 2nd of August is a write-off with strong onshore winds and a choppy 6ft S swell. Avoid.
Monday the 3rd of August is a surprise re-up. The swell jumps back to 6ft and 6ft SW with a very long 16-second period, and it’s glassy. Energy is 1528 (moderate). That’s a beautiful, clean, long-period groundswell. It will be fast and walling at the reef, but the lack of wind will make it a dream paddle.
The rest of the second week is a mixed bag of onshore winds and lumpy conditions, with the swell bouncing between 6ft and 7ft. The windows narrow. The best call in that second week is definitely Monday the 3rd of August’s morning and afternoon. The long-range stuff is promising but less certain.
Keep in mind Boneyards is inconsistent and the reef can be fickle – it rarely breaks like this, so when it does, it’s a special but serious wave. Crowds are *sometimes* a problem, so expect a few other keen locals out for the Friday morning glass session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Sun afternoon, near gales from the SE by Mon night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | ||||||||||||||
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 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2148 | 9565 | 5380 | 3835 | 1346 | 1486 | 1999 | 1632 | 1111 | 836 | 1012 | 2169 | 8300 | 3806 | 3051 | 2594 | 1686 | 1182 | 996 | 734 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 11:05PM1.08m | 12:11PM1.01m | 00:19AM1.11m | 1:10PM1.09m | 1:14AM1.17m | 1:54PM1.18m | 1:57AM1.25m | 2:30PM1.27m | 2:33AM1.32m | 3:02PM1.35m | 3:06AM1.38m | 3:33PM1.43m | 3:38AM1.41m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:46PM0.64m | 5:57AM0.53m | 6:15PM0.61m | 6:59AM0.47m | 7:15PM0.54m | 7:44AM0.39m | 7:59PM0.46m | 8:20AM0.31m | 8:36PM0.38m | 8:52AM0.23m | 9:09PM0.31m | 9:22AM0.17m | 9:40PM0.26m | |||||||
— | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | |
6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 10 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
2148 | 9565 | 5380 | 3835 | 1346 | 1486 | 1999 | 1632 | 1111 | 836 | 1012 | 2169 | 4760 | 3806 | 3051 | 2594 | 1686 | 1182 | 996 | 734 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 19 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | WSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | — | SSW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 18 | — | — | S 12 | — | — | SE 8 | — | SE 8 |
1242 | 37 | 35 | 5 | 1222 | 653 | 5 | — | 279 | 450 | 508 | 735 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 164 | — | 149 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | — | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | — | — | SE 10 | SE 10 | SW 16 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
15 | — | — | 35 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 4 | 4 | 268 | 152 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | S 6 | SSW 16 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | — | SE 8 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 14 | 12 | 22 | 11 | — | — | 214 | 8300 | 918 | 716 | 775 | 505 | — | 164 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 80 | 48 | 331 | 227 | 203 | 203 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 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.










