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Surf Forecasts:

Captains surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Tuesday 16 Sep 2025 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
14.5° C
 (Which is 1.1°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 Wednesday (Sep 17) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 2.4m and 11s. 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 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 17) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 21) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2AM (Wed 17th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 17th Sep)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 17th Sep)10ft (3.0m) 12s

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 20°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light.

Wednesday
17
Thursday
18
Friday
19
Saturday
20
Sunday
21
Monday
22
Tue
23
NightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPM
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
!
!
3
1
3
3
2
2
0
0
1
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2.5
SSW
3
SSW
2.5
SSW
2.2
SSW
1.6
S
1.5
S
1.5
S
1.6
SSW
1.4
SSW
1.3
S
0.8
S
0.8
S
0.6
S
0.5
S
0.3
SW
1.4
SSE
0.9
SSW
1.7
SSW
0.6
SW
0.9
SW
1
WSW
Period(s) (?)121212121111111210101211111212777121211
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)188124592027137964054357362541833217116391702418075278120202251
Wind
(km/h)
10
S
10
SW
20
SW
5
SSE
10
SSW
20
S
15
SE
10
SE
10
SSW
5
ENE
15
WNW
15
SW
10
SSE
5
S
20
S
5
ESE
15
S
20
SW
5
SSW
10
WSW
20
SW
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
crosscross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
off		crosscrosscross-
off		cross-
off		cross-
on		glasscross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
off		crosscrossoffcrosscross-
on		crosscross-
on		cross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
12:10AM
1.14
12:47PM
1.23
1:07AM
1.25
1:31PM
1.36
1:48AM
1.34
2:06PM
1.47
2:22AM
1.41
2:36PM
1.55
2:52AM
1.46
3:04PM
1.59
3:21AM
1.48
3:31PM
1.60
3:48AM
1.48
3:58PM
1.58
Low Tide
/ height (m)
6:33AM
0.41
7:05PM
0.38
7:20AM
0.30
7:48PM
0.26
7:57AM
0.21
8:22PM
0.17
8:28AM
0.15
8:52PM
0.11
8:57AM
0.11
9:20PM
0.07
9:24AM
0.11
9:47PM
0.07
9:50AM
0.13
Wednesday
17
Thursday
18
Friday
19
Saturday
20
Sunday
21
Monday
22
Tue
23
Sunrise-6:43--6:41--6:39--6:39--6:37--6:35--6:35-
Sunset--6:37--6:38--6:39--6:39--6:40--6:42--6:42
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
---------------110----
Temp. °C141313121415131720191817161821161516151515
Feels °C (?)111089121291517181616151719151312141312
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder

Eyeball surf reportRecent Eyeball Surf Reports for Cape Town

  1. weather stationWind Update Continuing clean conditions at Captains (calm at Plattekloof Glen wx 22 km from Captains). 3.0m 11s groundswell from the WSW with a 1.9m 11s groundswell from the SSW. 2 swells combining so expect closeout sets.

    2 hours 16 minutes ago Captains
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22 km away, 2 h 16 min ago

0 km/h
N
0.0
14.5
Air / Water (°C)
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

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:
surf-forecast.com

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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