Surf Forecasts:
Dumps surf forecast from 30 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 3 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 21ft (6.5m), 12s period, SW swell with 11,214 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 31 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dumps this week:
The surf forecast for Dumps over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Dumps in the next 16 days are 6.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 03) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.2m 9s period and expected on Friday (Sep 04) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Mon 31st Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Thu 3rd Sep) | 21ft (6.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dumps over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the line for us at Dumps. It's a bit of a mixed bag ahead, so pay attention.
We're kicking off from the very start of the period, so no gap to worry about. The overall pattern shows a solid start to the week, a messy middle, and then a promising but powerful finish that only the experienced crew should even think about.
Right off the bat, Sunday morning the 30th of August, we've got a clean 8ft SW swell rolling in with a 12-second period. The cross-off wind from the SSE at 16 mph is keeping things tidy, but the combined wave energy is solidly moderate at 2008. It's a bit of a tricky session though, with marginal conditions for the average punter. Water temp is sitting at 57°F, which is about 3°F cooler than usual for this time of year, so it's a bit nippier than normal—a good wetsuit is the call.
Monday the 31st is a step in the right direction. The swell drops a touch to 7ft from the SW, still with a clean 11-second period. The wind goes lighter, with a gentle S breeze at 9 mph, cross-off. The energy drops to 1019, which is still moderate and fun. This is a solid, clean day for an intermediate surfer.
Tuesday the 1st of September sees the swell pulse back up. The morning session shows a 8ft SW swell with a long 13-second period. The wind is light from the SSW at 6 mph, but it's a cross-shore, not full offshore. That long period makes it a groundswell, which can sometimes make Dumps a bit straight, but the energy is ramping up to 2549—moderate to strong. This is for experienced surfers only due to the size. The afternoon gets bumpier as the wind picks up, so the morning is your window.
Now, Wednesday the 2nd is where things get interesting. We've got a solid 10ft SW swell with a groundswell period of 14 seconds. The wind is a light to gentle cross-off from the S. The combined energy is cranking at 3264 in the morning. This is a standout for the first week. It's clean, powerful, and properly big. This is not a beginner's wave. Only experienced surfers should be out there.
Thursday the 3rd starts clean with a 6ft WSW swell and a light E wind, but the afternoon turns ugly with a strong SSE breeze hitting 25 mph, turning what could have been a decent session into a washing machine. Avoid the arvo.
We then hit a real flat spot. From Friday the 4th of August through Saturday morning the 5th of September, the swell drops right off to a pathetic 3ft and the wind is howling from the SE at 25 mph. It's a solid 3-4 day gap of poor conditions. Not worth paddling out.
Things start to look up again on Saturday afternoon the 5th. The swell is still small at 3ft, but a clean offshore wind from the SE at 12 mph makes it rideable. This is a light day for a longboard or a funboard.
Now, Sunday the 6th of September is a glassy gem. The morning is absolute magic—3 mph ENE wind, glassy conditions, and a 5ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period. The energy is at 801, weak to moderate, but the quality will be high for a small-wave session. This is another standout morning, just for the clean conditions alone.
The second week settles into a more consistent but generally smaller pattern. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th offer clean 5ft or smaller swells with light winds. Good for a cruise, nothing epic. The standout in this second week is definitely Saturday the 12th of September. The morning delivers a proper 8ft SW swell with a 13-second period and a gentle offshore wind from the SE at 9 mph. Energy is strong at 2543. This is excellent for experienced surfers, with clean, offshore conditions. It's a promising call but we're far enough out that some things might shift.
We finish the period with a monster on Monday the 14th of September. The morning shows a 10ft SW swell with a 15-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore from the WSW, making it messy. The afternoon, however, is predicted to see a 12ft WSW swell with a 16-second period—that's combined energy of 5220, which is very strong. The wind goes cross-off from the S. The forecast is clear: this swell is too big for this break. Only the most experienced locals with big-wave guns and a death wish would even look at it. This is a kite surfing special.
All in all, the best genuine surf windows are the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September for the big, clean groundswell, and the glassy morning of Sunday the 6th of September for a smaller, perfect session. The long-range Saturday the 12th is also a solid shout.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Wed night, strong winds from the SSE by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | SSW 20 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
2040 | 1735 | 1215 | 1019 | 875 | 1422 | 2412 | 3314 | 4550 | 3348 | 2681 | 2196 | 11214 | 7767 | 2356 | 1155 | 527 | 382 | 225 | 253 | 1172 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:35PM1.83m | 4:53AM1.70m | 5:08PM1.81m | 5:28AM1.64m | 5:44PM1.74m | 6:07AM1.55m | 6:26PM1.64m | 6:55AM1.44m | 7:19PM1.51m | 8:01AM1.33m | 8:36PM1.38m | 9:45AM1.27m | 10:31PM1.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:21AM0.30m | 10:47PM0.29m | 10:52AM0.33m | 11:21PM0.34m | 11:26AM0.40m | 11:59PM0.41m | 12:04PM0.49m | 00:44AM0.52m | 12:52PM0.62m | 1:46AM0.64m | 2:06PM0.74m | 3:24AM0.73m | 4:12PM0.79m | ||||||||
7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | |
— | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:30 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 20 | 16 |
Feels °C | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | — | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 10 | SW 16 |
2040 | 1735 | 1215 | 1019 | 875 | 1422 | 2412 | 3314 | 4550 | 3348 | 2681 | 2196 | — | 1138 | 429 | 278 | 527 | 382 | 225 | 133 | 1172 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — | SE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | — | SSW 13 | S 7 | SSW 9 | SSE 7 |
11 | 10 | 10 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 118 | — | 34 | 68 | 98 | 142 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | — | SSW 13 | SSW 9 | SSW 20 | SSW 9 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 120 | — | 34 | 69 | 253 | 65 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | — | W 5 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 7 |
— | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | 104 | 11214 | 7767 | 2356 | 1155 | 757 | 306 | 46 | 145 | 472 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 60 | 336 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 317 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 452 | 928 | 1224 | 2949 | 4 | 139 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Dumps Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Dumps provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Dumps can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Dumps 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 (Dumps) 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 Dumps 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 Dumps, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Bellville which is 14 km (9 miles) away, Robben Island, Kayamnandi and Stellenbosch.











