Surf Forecasts:
Captains surf forecast from 18 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 20 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 13s period, SW swell with 1,452 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 13s period with SW swell.
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 Friday (Sep 18) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 18s. Another secondary swell of 1.0m 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 2.1m 13s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 20) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 19) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 20th Sep) | 7ft (2.1m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Captains over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SSW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 796 | 736 | 514 | 978 | 1387 | 1110 | 848 | 563 | 378 | 303 | 263 | 331 | 278 | 298 | 191 | 180 | 268 | 275 | 517 | 463 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | on | cross | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 7:30PM1.00m | 8:48AM0.92m | 9:37PM0.93m | 11:20AM0.96m | 11:39PM0.99m | 12:26PM1.08m | 00:34AM1.10m | 1:02PM1.21m | 1:11AM1.22m | 1:32PM1.35m | 1:43AM1.33m | 2:00PM1.47m | 2:15AM1.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:02AM0.64m | 2:56PM0.73m | 4:47AM0.65m | 5:47PM0.67m | 6:11AM0.55m | 6:42PM0.56m | 6:52AM0.44m | 7:17PM0.43m | 7:23AM0.33m | 7:46PM0.30m | 7:51AM0.23m | 8:15PM0.18m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | |  | |  |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — |
 | 6:38 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 21 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 27 | 29 | 26 | 26 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 16 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 17 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SSW 8 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 796 | 736 | 514 | 978 | 1387 | 1110 | 848 | 563 | 378 | 303 | 263 | 331 | 278 | 298 | 191 | 180 | 268 | 176 | 517 | 463 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SSE 8 | S 6 | — | — | S 6 | — | SSE 6 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 14 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | — | S 9 | S 13 | NW 6 | SSW 15 | NW 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 12 | 83 | 40 | — | — | 49 | — | 56 | 35 | 37 | 245 | 133 | 83 | — | 7 | 14 | 16 | 275 | 22 | 73 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 16 | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 9 | — | S 13 | SW 15 | SW 18 | WSW 10 | — | NW 6 |
| kJ | — | 41 | 217 | — | — | — | — | — | 30 | 95 | 24 | 3 | 3 | — | 14 | 8 | 12 | 71 | — | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | — | SSE 7 | — | NNW 4 | NW 4 | NNW 5 | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | — | — | S 8 | N 5 |
| kJ | 227 | 123 | 104 | 108 | 76 | 91 | 95 | 132 | — | 59 | — | 23 | 18 | 27 | 29 | 34 | — | — | 160 | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 38 | 1 | 43 | 38 | 0 | 42 | 42 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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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