Captains surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Saturday 11 Apr 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
16.2° C
(Which is 1.8°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 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Apr 11) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.1m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Captains in the next 16 days are 4.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Apr 15) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Apr 16) at 11PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Sat 11th Apr)6ft (1.8m) 12s
Best Surf 8PM (Tue 14th Apr)7ft (2.1m) 14s
Most Powerful 5PM (Wed 15th Apr)13ft (4.0m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Captains over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 19°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sat
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
1
2
1
0
2
2
1
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
1
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
1.8
SW
1.8
SW
1.6
SW
1.4
SW
1.1
SW
1
SW
0.8
SW
1.6
SW
1.7
SW
2
WSW
2.4
WSW
3.5
WSW
4
WSW
3.5
SW
3
SW
3
SW
2.5
SW
2.1
SW
1.7
SW
1
SW
1.6
SW
Period(s) (?)131212111110141313161413171614141312111012
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)1006899723492293212238821921193322804580905063994168357022351189701208772
Wind
(km/h)
15
S
10
S
15
S
20
S
10
SSE
5
SSW
10
SW
5
SW
15
WNW
20
NW
20
WSW
15
SW
25
S
15
SE
5
S
15
SW
5
SSW
15
WSW
10
W
5
WSW
10
WNW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
crosscrosscrosscrosscross-
off
cross-
on
cross-
on
cross-
on
oncross-
on
oncross-
on
crosscross-
off
glasscross-
on
glasscross-
on
oncross-
on
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
11:40PM
1.09
Low Tide
/ height (m)
5:15PM
0.57
Sat
11
Sunday
12
Monday
13
Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Sunrise--7:05--7:05--7:07--7:07--7:07--7:09--7:09
Sunset6:29--6:27--6:25--6:24--6:23--6:22--6:21--
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
Rain (mm)
----------5----------
Temp. °C221920211820222019191817181617181718171717
Feels °C (?)201819191720212117161613131115141515131415
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Quick surf report for Captains:

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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.


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 16 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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