Surf Forecasts:
Fish Hoek surf forecast from 21 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 22 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 10s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, SW swell with 1,290 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 22 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 10s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Fish Hoek this week:
The surf forecast for Fish Hoek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Fish Hoek in the next 16 days are 1.8m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Friday (Aug 28) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 22nd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Fish Hoek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Fish Hoek.
First up, the water’s a bit cooler than usual for this time of year, sitting at 58°, which is a touch nippy – about 3° colder than average. So you’ll want a decent suit.
The pattern for the next couple of weeks is a real mixed bag. We get a few glimpses of clean surf, but a lot of it is messy onshore stuff, especially in the middle of the run.
Friday the 21st is a write-off – we’ve got a 3ft cross-onshore chop with weak energy (398) and it’s just poor conditions. No good.
But Saturday the 22nd is where it starts to turn. Saturday morning we have a little 4ft SSW swell, clean with a cross-offshore NNW breeze. The energy is moderate (430) and the 11-second period gives it a bit of shape. Then Saturday afternoon the wind goes fully offshore from the NW with the same 4ft SW swell – that’s clean and fun, though energy drops a touch to 336. That afternoon session is the first real standout of the period.
Sunday the 23rd gets a bump in size to 5ft, but the SSE wind is cross-on and only light, leaving a bit of ripple. It’s marginal and the tide might be a pain.
Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are poor. Tuesday morning has a solid 6ft SW groundswell (14-second period) and big energy at 1243, but that strong cross-onshore wind makes it choppy and lumpy – expert only if you’re desperate, but honestly not worth it.
Wednesday the 26th is poor with 5ft onshore windswell, short 8-second period, and onshore wind. Not good.
Then we get a nice little window. Thursday the 27th afternoon has a 3ft S swell with a WNW offshore wind – clean and glassy enough, energy at 391. But the real gem is Friday the 28th morning. That’s glassy conditions with a 3ft S groundswell, 14-second period, and 731 energy. That’s going to be clean, smooth, and have some push. Best morning of the whole outlook. Friday afternoon stays glassy too with 3ft SW.
After that, it gets messy again. Saturday the 29th has strong cross-offshore winds and a building 7ft swell by afternoon, but with strong breeze and rain, it’s poor. Sunday the 30th morning sees a big 8ft SW swell with 2079 energy – that’s going to be too big for most, and the cross-shore wind won’t help. Only for experts with big balls.
Then there’s a long stretch of poor conditions until Tuesday the 1st of September. That morning is glassy again with a 5ft SW groundswell (14-second period) and 1009 energy – that’s another standout. Clean, good power, very good conditions. Tuesday afternoon stays glassy with 5ft.
Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are marginal but clean with offshore winds – the swell holds around 4-6ft, but it’s not as clean as the glassy days. Thursday afternoon has a light offshore with 5ft WSW swell, which could be a fun little session.
Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are back to poor or marginal onshore junk.
Overall, the two true standouts are Friday morning 28th August (3ft S, 14s, glassy, 731 energy) and Tuesday morning 1st September (5ft SW, 14s, glassy, 1009 energy). Those are the ones to circle.
Fish Hoek is a fairly consistent beginner-friendly spot, but with a cross-onshore wind it turns into a choppy mess, so you really need that offshore or glassy window. Crowds can be a problem here when it’s good, so get there early.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Tue afternoon, light winds from the ESE by Wed night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Fri 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
211 | 172 | 297 | 325 | 537 | 803 | 689 | 514 | 380 | 163 | 1262 | 1123 | 849 | 503 | 305 | 291 | 447 | 110 | 178 | 194 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | on |
High Tide | 10:23PM0.98m | 11:54AM0.96m | 00:06AM1.03m | 12:59PM1.06m | 1:02AM1.13m | 1:37PM1.18m | 1:41AM1.24m | 2:08PM1.31m | 2:13AM1.33m | 2:37PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | 3:05PM1.52m | 3:14AM1.47m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:47PM0.71m | 5:32AM0.62m | 6:06PM0.66m | 6:46AM0.52m | 7:07PM0.56m | 7:28AM0.41m | 7:45PM0.45m | 7:59AM0.31m | 8:17PM0.34m | 8:28AM0.21m | 8:47PM0.25m | 8:55AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.16m | |||||||
— | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SE 8 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 |
211 | 167 | 297 | 325 | 537 | 803 | 689 | 514 | 380 | 163 | 1262 | 1123 | 849 | 503 | 241 | 152 | 151 | 110 | 178 | 178 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 10 | SW 11 | WSW 10 | SW 16 | SW 14 | — | — | — | SW 13 | WSW 11 | W 11 | — | SSW 14 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 8 | S 14 | S 14 |
138 | 172 | 133 | 11 | 211 | — | — | — | 46 | 138 | 89 | — | 41 | 21 | 62 | 66 | 90 | 37 | 148 | 194 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SSW 13 | — | — | SW 12 | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | — | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 |
— | 68 | — | — | 232 | — | — | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | 38 | 22 | 42 | 98 | 94 | 65 | 47 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | — | NNW 2 | NW 3 | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 3 | SSE 4 | SE 5 | SE 6 | SSE 6 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | NW 3 | NW 3 | — |
49 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 17 | 44 | 120 | 196 | 344 | 305 | 291 | 447 | 2 | 2 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 70 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Fish Hoek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Fish Hoek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Fish Hoek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Fish Hoek 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 (Fish Hoek) 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 Fish Hoek 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 Fish Hoek, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 22 km (14 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 31 km (19 miles) away, Robben Island, Stellenbosch and Kayamnandi.











