Surf Forecasts:
Eerste Steen surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,350 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period with SW 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 25) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. 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 2.4m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) 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 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Eerste Steen over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Eerste Steen over the next couple of weeks.
We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming in. The first few days are looking pretty average – there’s some swell around, but wind and tide aren’t lining up for clean conditions. The water is sitting at 56°, which is a solid 5° colder than normal for this time of year, so that’s a notable chill. You’ll want a decent wetsuit.
Monday the 24th kicks things off with a 4ft swell from the WSW, but a 12 mph cross-shore wind from the SSE is messing it up. The combined energy is moderate (884), but the conditions are marginal. Tuesday the 25th sees a bigger pulse of 7ft from the SW, with a 14-second period, giving it good energy (2057), but again, the wind is cross-shore and not clean. Still, it’s too big for beginners anyway.
Wednesday the 26th is where things start to look up. The morning brings a clean 5ft swell from the WSW with a 13-second period. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the ESE at 9 mph, and the combined energy is moderate (997). The afternoon holds at 4ft with even lighter 6 mph winds. This is the first real standout of the forecast. The sets will have good shape, and the water will be clean. It’s a solid window for intermediate surfers.
Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th drop off again. The swell hangs around 4ft to 4ft, but the wind turns more onshore and choppy, with the energy dropping to the 600-700 range. Not worth paddling out for.
Saturday the 29th morning is a bit of a tease. The swell is 4ft from the WSW, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW at 12 mph. The conditions are clean, but the energy is only moderate (700). It’s surfable, but not a standout. The afternoon gets choppy again.
Sunday the 30th brings a big jump in size – 8ft from the WSW – but it’s accompanied by strong onshore and cross-onshore winds. The energy is high (1982), but the quality is poor. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one.
Monday the 31st has a 7ft swell from the WSW, but with cross-shore and cross-onshore winds, it’s still messy. The energy is moderate (905). Not the best.
Then we hit a real monster. Tuesday the 1st of September afternoon sees a 10ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, and the energy jumps to 3717. But the wind is messy. Wednesday the 2nd of September morning is a full-on 12ft swell from the WSW with a 13-second period and a clean offshore wind from the north at 22 mph. The energy is massive (3785). This is for experts only – the size is well over 8ft. The afternoon turns choppy again.
Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th of September are all about big, lumpy, wind-affected swell. The energy is very high (up to 5253), but the wind is strong and cross-shore, making it ugly. Not worth it for a paddle surfer.
The real gold comes on Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September. Saturday afternoon delivers a 8ft swell from the SSW with a 10-second period, clean cross-offshore winds from the ESE at 9 mph, and strong energy (1651). Sunday morning is even better: a 7ft swell from the SSW, with a gentle offshore wind from the east at 9 mph. The energy is 1420, and the conditions are clean. This is the best window of the entire forecast. The sets will be powerful, with good shape, and the offshore wind will keep the faces clean. It’s still a bit big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is the one to lock in.
Monday the 7th of September is a nice cleanup, with a 4ft groundswell from the WSW at a 14-second period and a gentle offshore wind. The energy is moderate (900). It’s a good end to the run.
Tuesday the 8th of September sees a similar 5ft swell from the SW, but with stronger winds, making it less attractive.
Overall, the standout windows are Wednesday the 26th of August for a clean, smaller day, and the weekend of the 5th and 6th of September for the best combination of size, power, and clean conditions. The big swells in between are for experts only, or better left for the kite crew.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 11°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Sun morning. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 13°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
376 | 1187 | 1949 | 1710 | 1151 | 711 | 525 | 430 | 401 | 387 | 244 | 284 | 519 | 484 | 440 | 679 | 2227 | 1974 | 1680 | 1291 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:40AM1.24m | 2:08PM1.31m | 2:13AM1.33m | 2:36PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | 3:04PM1.52m | 3:14AM1.47m | 3:32PM1.59m | 3:44AM1.50m | 4:01PM1.63m | 4:16AM1.50m | 4:31PM1.63m | 4:48AM1.47m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:45PM0.45m | 7:59AM0.30m | 8:17PM0.34m | 8:27AM0.21m | 8:46PM0.24m | 8:54AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.16m | 9:21AM0.09m | 9:44PM0.10m | 9:49AM0.07m | 10:14PM0.07m | 10:18AM0.07m | 10:45PM0.07m | |||||||
— | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | |
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 17 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 14 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 |
376 | 1187 | 1949 | 1710 | 1151 | 711 | 525 | 430 | 401 | 387 | 244 | 231 | 519 | 484 | 440 | 679 | 2227 | 1974 | 1680 | 1291 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 10 | WSW 11 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | S 8 | SSE 8 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | WSW 16 | WSW 9 | SSE 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 10 |
270 | 249 | — | 146 | 198 | 173 | 109 | 328 | 256 | 186 | 170 | 133 | 171 | 96 | 206 | 69 | 20 | 8 | 2 | 2 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 10 | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SSW 11 | WSW 16 | — | S 13 | S 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | — | — | — |
203 | 108 | — | — | 51 | 113 | 156 | 123 | 13 | 26 | 105 | 284 | — | 31 | 48 | 38 | 14 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | S 3 | — | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | — | — | — | — |
35 | 121 | 108 | 214 | 119 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 36 | 2 | 2 | 401 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 31 | 0 | 36 | 31 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











