
Surf Forecasts:
Boneyards surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 13 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 15s period, WSW swell with 9,124 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 13 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 15s 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 Sunday (Sep 13) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 1.9m and 15s. 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 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've been staring at the charts for Boneyards, and it's a proper mixed bag, a real rollercoaster ride. We've got plenty of swell on the way, but the wind gods are going to make us work for it. Let's get into it.
The water is sitting at 59°, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you'll want a thick wetsuit, maybe even a hood.
Right now, and through the first few days of the period, the swell is building, but the conditions are just average. We’re looking at a 3 to 4 ft WSW swell with a solid 13-second period on Wednesday the 9th, and it's clean with a cross-off breeze, so you could get a few, but the energy is weak (325). It improves a bit on Thursday the 10th with a clean 8 ft SW swell (moderate wave energy, 2590) but again, that cross-off wind isn't ideal. It's surfable, but not the standout.
Then things get interesting, but gnarly. From Friday the 11th through Saturday the 12th, a proper groundswell fills in, hitting 8 ft with a very long 16-second period on Saturday afternoon, and the wave energy is strong (3612). The catch? It's blowing an absolute gale offshore—25 to 31 mph from the SE. That makes for a clean face, but paddling back out will be a mission. This is strictly for the experts with a death wish; beginners and most intermediates should sit this one out.
Sunday the 13th sees the swell pulse drop back to a more manageable 7 ft from the SW (14-second period), but the wind swings onshore, making things a little choppy. Not great, just okay.
We then hit a dead zone. From Monday the 14th through to Tuesday the 15th, the wind is up and the waves are messy, with a strong cross-onshore making a mess of things. It’s not worth paddling out for a paddle surfer, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
Now, for the real standout. Mark your calendars for Wednesday the 16th of September. We get a solid 13 ft SW groundswell from the south-west, with a 14-second period and massive wave energy (6583). The wind is a clean cross-off from the south-east. This is a big, powerful day for experienced surfers only. It will be too big for beginners, and over 8 ft it's only for experts. If you’ve got the skills and the big wave board, this is the one. The long period swell (15 seconds) from the previous days suggests it could be a bit straight at the beach, but at a reef like Boneyards, it should hold up nicely. Expect good crowds though, as this spot is sometimes busy.
After that big pulse, it settles down. Thursday the 17th is blown out by near gale offshore winds again, but by Friday the 18th, things are looking sweet. A clean 3 ft to 4 ft swell from the WSW (11-12 seconds) with gentle to moderate offshore winds makes for a much more user-friendly session for all levels. Wave energy is weak (334-347), but the conditions will be excellent.
Another pulse shows up on Saturday the 19th with a 8 ft to 8 ft SW swell (15-16 seconds), but the wind is cross-shore and cross-on, so it'll be lumpy. Not the best.
The final call for the period is on Thursday the 24th of September. After a long run of average conditions, we get a glassy 4 ft SW swell (16 seconds) in the morning with 996 wave energy. That’s a beautiful, clean morning for a long-period groundswell. The afternoon cleans up to 5 ft with a light cross-off breeze, making for excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is the second standout for the fortnight. It’s a long way off, so take it with a grain of salt, but it looks promising.
So, to sum it up: the absolute best bet is Wednesday the 16th for the big wave crew, and Thursday the 24th for everyone else looking for clean, solid waves. The rest is a lot of waiting and watching.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 13°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Wed morning, strong winds from the SE by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sat morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SE on Sat afternoon, light winds from the N by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | NNW 7 | SW 19 | SW 17 | WSW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
304 | 382 | 759 | 2590 | 1859 | 1383 | 967 | 710 | 337 | 1808 | 3612 | 2416 | 1443 | 1208 | 663 | 473 | 349 | 353 | 738 | 2375 | 9124 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:15PM1.56m | 2:33AM1.51m | 2:52PM1.65m | 3:10AM1.55m | 3:25PM1.70m | 3:44AM1.55m | 3:58PM1.68m | 4:16AM1.51m | 4:29PM1.62m | 4:47AM1.44m | 4:59PM1.53m | 5:18AM1.35m | 5:29PM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:04AM0.12m | 8:31PM0.09m | 8:41AM0.05m | 9:08PM0.01m | 9:15AM0.02m | 9:42PM-0.01m | 9:48AM0.03m | 10:15PM0.01m | 10:19AM0.08m | 10:45PM0.08m | 10:49AM0.16m | 11:15PM0.17m | 11:18AM0.26m | 11:44PM0.28m | |||||||
6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | |
— | 6:32 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 19 |
Temp °C | 17 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 17 | WSW 15 |
304 | 382 | 759 | 2590 | 1859 | 1383 | 967 | 710 | 337 | 1808 | 3612 | 2416 | 1443 | 1208 | 663 | 473 | 349 | 268 | 283 | 2375 | 9124 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SW 19 | — | SW 15 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SW 19 | WSW 8 | ESE 12 |
25 | 14 | 536 | — | — | — | — | — | 293 | 380 | — | 1542 | 306 | 224 | 165 | 95 | 51 | 12 | 738 | 81 | 27 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | S 10 | SSE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 10 | — | — | — | — | — | SE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | SE 12 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | — |
21 | 8 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | 67 | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 78 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 3 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | — | — | S 6 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | NNW 5 | NNW 5 | NNW 6 | NNW 7 | NW 6 | NW 8 | — |
4 | 7 | 12 | — | — | 214 | 592 | 831 | 844 | 1360 | 1790 | 724 | 773 | — | 9 | 40 | 177 | 353 | 431 | 891 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 80 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 32 | 32 | 186 | 235 | 1 |
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.










