
Surf Forecasts:
Eerste Steen surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,752 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Eerste Steen in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 2s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Eerste Steen over the next 16 days.
Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Eerste Steen over the next couple of weeks. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is a bit colder than you'd expect for this time of year, about two and a half degrees off the mark, so you might want an extra layer.
The first real taste of action comes in on Sunday the 12th. We’ve got a 5ft south swell rolling in with 11-second period, and while the wind’s a light cross-off from the east at 6 mph, the morning session is looking clean. The energy’s moderate at 716, so there’s enough push. That’s your best bet to start, even if it’s not huge. By the afternoon, the wind swings onshore and it gets a bit messy, so don't hang around.
Monday the 13th is a funny one. We’ve got glassy conditions all day – wind is dead calm or barely a whisper – but the swell drops right off to 3ft. It’s clean as a whistle, but you’re fighting for tiny waves. Definitely a longboard or a foamie kind of day.
Tuesday the 14th is a write-off. The wind goes cross and cross-on, and the swell stays small and weak. Save your energy.
Now, Wednesday the 15th is where it starts to get interesting. The morning brings in a 5ft south-west groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and with glassy conditions, it’ll be lined up. The energy’s strong at 1157. It’s not a huge wave, but the quality will be there. By the afternoon the swell jumps to 8ft, period drops to 15 seconds, and it gets a bit onshore – that’s getting into expert territory, especially for a spot that can handle that direction.
Thursday the 16th is a standout. Thursday morning, we’ve got an 8ft south-west swell, 13-second period, and it’s glassy. The energy is powerful at 2135. This is proper, punchy surf for experienced crew. Thursday afternoon stays glassy with a 8ft swell. This is the pick of the first week without a doubt.
Friday the 17th gets a bit lumpy with a moderate cross-shore breeze, but there’s still decent 7ft swell around. It’s surfable but not the cleanest.
Saturday the 18th is a gem. The morning has a lovely 4ft south-west groundswell with 14-second period, and the wind is offshore from the east at 6 mph – that’s text-book clean (1116 energy). The afternoon goes glassy with a 6ft swell. A solid, fun day.
Sunday the 19th is smaller again, glassy, clean but 3ft to 4ft. Another longboard session.
Now, looking further ahead to the second week, things get serious. From Tuesday the 22nd onwards, the swell really cranks up. The 22nd morning shows a 10ft south-west swell, 15-second period, with a light cross-off breeze. Energy is massive at 4590 – that’s a big, powerful groundswell. This is for experts only. The afternoon gets windy, so go early.
The 24th and 25th are showing 10ft to 12ft south-west swells, with very long periods up to 17 seconds. The energy numbers are huge, 5230 and 5367. The problem is, by the 25th and into the 26th and 27th, the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. When it’s over 12ft and coming straight from the south-west, it’s just going to close out or be dangerous. If you’re a very experienced charger, maybe, but for most, give it a miss.
Don’t bother with the 26th or 27th – that’s 12ft to 13ft and onshore wind. That’s kite-surf territory, not paddle.
Overall, the best windows are Thursday the 16th for the bigger, clean swell, and Saturday the 18th for a more manageable, but still really good, day. The long-range stuff from the 22nd to 24th is promising, but it’s a week and a half away, so keep an eye on the forecasts. The gap between decent surf? Not much of one – the 14th is the only real dead day, otherwise it’s on and off all the way through.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 14°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | W 12 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
545 | 337 | 260 | 173 | 132 | 220 | 165 | 156 | 132 | 976 | 2794 | 3420 | 2135 | 1697 | 1702 | 1034 | 1102 | 809 | 614 | 976 | 529 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:48PM1.36m | 2:02AM1.49m | 2:40PM1.47m | 2:54AM1.55m | 3:27PM1.56m | 3:42AM1.56m | 4:12PM1.61m | 4:28AM1.54m | 4:55PM1.63m | 5:12AM1.48m | 5:37PM1.59m | 5:55AM1.39m | 6:19PM1.52m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 7:53PM0.26m | 8:26AM0.08m | 8:48PM0.17m | 9:14AM0.02m | 9:38PM0.10m | 9:58AM-0.00m | 10:25PM0.08m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:11PM0.09m | 11:20AM0.07m | 11:55PM0.15m | 12:00PM0.16m | 00:39AM0.23m | ||||||||
7:50 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | |
— | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 20 |
Feels °C | 13 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | W 12 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
545 | 337 | 260 | 173 | 132 | 220 | 165 | 156 | 132 | 976 | 2794 | 3420 | 2135 | 1697 | 1702 | 1034 | 1102 | 809 | 425 | 976 | 529 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SSW 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 18 | WSW 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 19 | SW 16 | SW 14 | W 10 | W 11 |
146 | 110 | 69 | 66 | 40 | 90 | 25 | 55 | 108 | 138 | 109 | — | — | — | — | — | 14 | 129 | 614 | 78 | 82 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 10 | W 10 | S 10 | S 10 |
25 | 37 | 33 | 32 | 50 | 45 | 59 | 25 | 52 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 | 77 | 19 | 48 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 126 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.










