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Surf Forecasts:

Captains surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Saturday 24 Jan 2026 SAST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Captains surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Captains sea temperature is
11.8° C
 (Which is 8.1°C colder than average for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Captains this week:

The surf forecast for Captains over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jan 24) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Captains in the next 12 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jan 28) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jan 28) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Sat 24th Jan)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Best Surf 8PM (Sat 24th Jan)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Most Powerful11PM (Wed 28th Jan)11ft (3.5m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Captains over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun afternoon, min 18°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Wed night, calm by Fri morning).

Sat
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
Tuesday
27
Wednesday
28
Thursday
29
Friday
30
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
0
!
!
!
!
!
0
!
!
0
!
!
!
!
!
!
4
2
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2.5
SSW
2.2
SSW
2.2
SW
2.2
SW
2.2
SW
2.1
SW
2.3
SW
2.3
SW
2.5
SW
3
SW
3
SW
3
SW
2.5
SW
3
SSW
2.5
SW
2.2
SW
2
SSW
1.6
SW
1.3
SW
1.4
SW
1
WSW
Period(s) (?)121211111111121212121313131313131212111110
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)18391402119312341148109213801494176024182658249624363233210315581177734418471187
Wind
(km/h)
25
SSW
10
S
15
SSW
25
SSW
15
SSE
15
SW
25
WSW
5
NNW
15
WSW
25
SW
15
SSE
15
S
30
S
15
SE
10
WSW
15
SW
5
SSW
10
SW
25
SW
25
S
30
S
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on		crosscrosscrosscross-
off		cross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		oncross-
on		cross-
off		crosscrosscross-
off		oncross-
on		glasscross-
on		cross-
on		crosscross-
off
High Tide
/ height (m)
6:54PM
1.25
7:18AM
1.40
7:49PM
1.15
8:16AM
1.30
9:05PM
1.07
9:35AM
1.23
10:45PM
1.06
11:12AM
1.22
12:17AM
1.14
12:35PM
1.29
1:24AM
1.27
1:38PM
1.39
2:15AM
1.40
Low Tide
/ height (m)
12:52AM
0.31
1:42PM
0.34
1:44AM
0.41
2:50PM
0.41
2:57AM
0.51
4:22PM
0.44
4:43AM
0.54
5:59PM
0.39
6:22AM
0.47
7:10PM
0.28
7:32AM
0.34
8:03PM
0.17
8:25AM
0.22
Sat
24
Sunday
25
Monday
26
Tuesday
27
Wednesday
28
Thursday
29
Friday
30
Sunrise--6:00--6:01--6:01--6:03--6:03--6:05--6:05
Sunset7:55--7:54--7:54--7:53--7:53--7:52--7:52--
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
---------------------
Temp. °C222023252123221921212021231924232221212119
Feels °C (?)191921221922191921191719201723222222192015
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Captains surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.

View detailed surf forecast for Captains at:
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Information about the Captains Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Captains provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Captains can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Captains 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 (Captains) 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 Captains 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.

Captains is 12 km (7 miles) from the city of Robben Island. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Robben Island. Robben Island has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

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