
Surf Forecasts:
Boneyards surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 6 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 18s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 18s period, SW swell with 3,310 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 3 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 13s period with WSW 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 (Sep 03) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Boneyards in the next 16 days are 2.3m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 9s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 6th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Boneyards over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s cookin’ over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, Thursday the 3rd is the only day in the first week with anything worth paddling for, and even that’s for experienced surfers only. You’ve got a solid 6ft swell from the WSW, with a 13-second period—plenty of energy in the water (combined energy 1151), but the wind is cross-off from the SE. It’s clean, but not perfect. After that, we hit a rough patch. From Friday the 4th all the way through Saturday the 5th, the wind goes absolutely ballistic—near gale to gale force offshore. Sure, it’s clean, but you’d be fighting just to get out the back, and the swell drops to under 3ft. Forget it.
Now, Sunday the 6th is where things get interesting. That morning, the swell jumps to 8ft from the SW, with a long 18-second period—serious groundswell energy (combined energy 3310). The wind is moderate offshore from the ESE, making for clean, chunky waves. This is big, powerful stuff: over 8ft means experts only here at Boneyards, so don’t take it lightly. The afternoon stays clean with a light cross-off breeze and a 7ft swell, but the period drops a bit.
After Sunday, the wind turns cross-onshore Monday and Tuesday, spoiling the shape. We get a few smaller, wind-affected days through the middle of the week.
The next true standout rolls in on Sunday the 13th of September. The morning kicks off with a solid 10ft from the SSW, 13-second period, and strong offshore wind—clean but a real paddle battle. The afternoon is similar, with the swell holding at 10ft and the period stretching to 14 seconds (combined energy 3659). This is big, powerful, and for experts only.
Then Monday the 14th of September morning—this is the pick of the whole run. The swell is still 8ft from the SSW, 14-second period, and the wind goes glassy—literally no wind, just a slight air. That’s about as good as it gets for a reef break like Boneyards. The water temperature is 58°, which is 3° colder than usual for this time of year—so a bit of a chill, but nothing crazy.
After that, the wind gets messy again for the rest of the second week. There are some tempting-looking 7ft to 8ft SW swells, but they’re mostly cross-onshore or just too windy to recommend.
So to sum it up: the best windows are Sunday the 6th morning, and then Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th morning. If you’re experienced and hungry, those are the sessions to chase.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Thu morning, gales from the SE by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
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 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 24 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
853 | 426 | 311 | 140 | 93 | 101 | 114 | 91 | 1839 | 3310 | 1978 | 1585 | 1537 | 1261 | 773 | 494 | 229 | 352 | 458 | 389 | 518 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:10PM1.28m | 7:55AM1.08m | 8:30PM1.15m | 9:46AM1.03m | 10:28PM1.12m | 11:38AM1.11m | 00:04AM1.20m | 12:47PM1.27m | 1:06AM1.32m | 1:35PM1.43m | 1:53AM1.43m | 2:15PM1.56m | 2:33AM1.51m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:46PM0.40m | 1:38AM0.42m | 1:54PM0.53m | 3:14AM0.51m | 3:57PM0.59m | 5:14AM0.48m | 5:54PM0.50m | 6:32AM0.36m | 7:02PM0.35m | 7:23AM0.23m | 7:50PM0.20m | 8:04AM0.12m | 8:31PM0.09m | ||||||||
7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | |
— | 6:29 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:32 | — | |
mm | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 24 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 8 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
853 | 426 | 311 | 140 | 93 | 101 | 114 | 88 | 1839 | 3310 | 1978 | 1585 | 1537 | 1261 | 773 | 494 | 167 | 352 | 458 | 389 | 518 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | WNW 14 | — | — | S 14 | SSW 13 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SSW 10 | — | S 12 | SE 7 | SE 9 | SE 8 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 11 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SW 4 |
298 | 69 | — | — | 15 | 56 | 58 | 39 | 60 | — | 11 | 121 | 83 | 42 | 80 | 175 | 229 | 172 | 16 | 13 | 3 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 11 | — | SW 24 | SW 13 | — | — | SE 10 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | WSW 12 | SSE 10 | W 11 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
— | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 91 | 25 | — | — | 35 | 36 | 30 | 25 | 11 | 137 | 31 | 21 | 13 | 6 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | — | NNW 3 | NW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 1825 | 2243 | 1465 | 1452 | 1422 | 1485 | 1545 | 1248 | 517 | 324 | — | 9 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1012 | 1063 | 1308 | 3892 | 32 | 13 | 25 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 349 | 25 |
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.










