Surf Forecasts:
Eerste Steen surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 13s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with 3,216 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 13s period with WSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Eerste Steen this week:
The surf forecast for Eerste Steen over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Eerste Steen in the next 16 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Eerste Steen over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s get into it.
Right off the bat, Monday morning the 17th of August is gonna be a ripper for experienced surfers only at Eerste Steen. The water is a chilly 55°F – that’s 5°F colder than normal for this time of year, so that’s a proper bone-chiller, you’ll want a thick wetsuit. We’ve got a solid 8ft swell pushing in from the WSW with a long 13-second period, packing some serious grunt – the combined swell energy is sitting at 2354 (moderate to strong energy). The kicker is a light northerly offshore wind at 6 mph keeping things clean. This is the standout of the whole outlook: solid, clean, and grunty, but it’s strictly for the experienced crew. Because the swell is over 5ft, beginners should sit this one out.
Come Monday afternoon, the wind swings westerly and goes cross-on at 9 mph, turning things choppy. The swell drops a fraction to 8ft, but the quality goes south. The score is lower, so I’d call it a write-off after the morning session.
Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are pretty average – cross-shore and cross-on winds, with swell hanging around 8ft to 8ft from the SW. The energy stays high (2133 to 1866), but the wind’s putting a chop on it. Nothing to get excited about, just marginal conditions.
Thursday the 20th sees the swell jump to 10ft from the SSW with a 13-second period – that’s a lot of juice (combined energy 3267). But it’s cross-shore winds, so it’s messy. Again, experts only given the size, but the wind’s not doing it any favours. The score reflects that frustration.
Friday the 21st is dropping off – swell down to 7ft in the morning, then 5ft in the afternoon. The wind remains cross-shore, but the energy’s weakening (1045 in the morning, 763 in the arvo). It’s just not worth paddling out.
Saturday the 22nd through to Monday the 24th is a stretch of poor quality – cross-on winds, choppy conditions, and inconsistent swell around 7ft to 8ft. There are a couple of morning windows with light breezes, but the overall vibe is marginal at best. The scores are low across the board.
Now, here’s the second standout – mark your calendar for Wednesday morning the 26th of August. We’ve got a 7ft SW swell with a nice long 13-second period, combined energy of 1559 (moderate energy), and the wind is dead calm – glassy. That is going to be absolutely pristine conditions. The swell direction from the SW matches the optimum direction for Eerste Steen, so the lines should be clean and well-shaped. It’s still 7ft, so pushing into that intermediate-to-expert zone, but with glassy conditions, it’s going to be a treat. This is the other true standout.
After Wednesday morning, it’s a slow decline. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th offer cross-shore winds with swell around 5ft to 7ft, but nothing special. The energy is dropping (594 to 1677). The wind’s light, so there’s potential for a few fun waves, but nothing compared to the 26th.
The last few days (29th August to 1st September) look poor. Saturday the 29th has strong south winds at 16 mph creating a choppy mess, and Sunday the 30th afternoon sees the swell balloon to a massive 12ft from the SW with combined energy of 3527 – but with moderate cross-on winds, it’s too big and messy, even for experts. Monday the 31st holds 10ft, but again cross-shore winds chop it up. By Tuesday the 1st of September, the swell drops back to 6ft, but the wind is cross-on and light.
Overall, if you’re an experienced surfer, aim for Monday morning the 17th or Wednesday morning the 26th. Beginners should wait for a smaller, cleaner window – this isn’t your week. There are gaps of several days with nothing worth recommending, so be patient.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
2135 | 1930 | 1735 | 2345 | 2379 | 1866 | 1550 | 1476 | 3166 | 2536 | 1610 | 1172 | 466 | 316 | 1027 | 1721 | 1890 | 1522 | 1622 | 920 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 6:13PM1.43m | 6:32AM1.21m | 6:48PM1.29m | 7:12AM1.10m | 7:29PM1.15m | 8:07AM0.99m | 8:32PM1.04m | 9:49AM0.92m | 10:25PM0.98m | 11:54AM0.96m | 00:06AM1.04m | 12:58PM1.07m | 1:01AM1.13m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:31AM0.30m | 12:30PM0.38m | 1:08AM0.42m | 1:06PM0.51m | 1:55AM0.54m | 1:57PM0.63m | 3:19AM0.62m | 3:53PM0.70m | 5:32AM0.61m | 6:08PM0.66m | 6:46AM0.52m | 7:07PM0.56m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | |
6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
2135 | 1930 | 1735 | 2345 | 2379 | 1866 | 1550 | 1476 | 3166 | 2536 | 1610 | 1172 | 466 | 316 | 1027 | 1721 | 1890 | 1522 | 1622 | 920 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | SW 14 | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 11 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
193 | 224 | 398 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 281 | 291 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 31 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Eerste Steen Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Eerste Steen provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Eerste Steen can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Eerste Steen 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 (Eerste Steen) 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 Eerste Steen 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.
Eerste Steen is 8 km (5 miles) from the very large 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 cheap car hire and transport links.











