Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer down at Fish Hoek. It’s looking like a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but we’ve got a few windows where it’ll be worth getting wet.

The wave energy is moderate for the most part, with a combined energy reading of 397, but it’s the timing and the wind that’ll make or break it. The water is sitting at 58°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.

Our first solid chance is Monday morning, August 3rd. The swell is 3ft from the SW with a 13-second period, and the wind is glassy out of the ENE at 3 mph. That’s clean, lined-up surf, perfect for a beginner-friendly wave. The combined energy is 397, so it’s not a powerhouse, but it’s got some fun shape to it. The offshore wind direction is a bit off for Fish Hoek’s optimum (SE), but that glassy surface will make it rideable.

Then the week gets a bit messy. The next standout is Wednesday morning, August 5th. The swell jumps up to 5ft from the SW, with a 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell. The combined energy is 1212, so there’s some real push behind it. The wind is cross-offshore from the NNW at 12 mph, which will keep the face clean. This is a step up in size and power, but it’s still manageable for a confident intermediate.

Thursday the 6th sees a bigger bump, 7ft from the SW, but it’s onshore wind from the ESE at 6 mph, making it messy. The energy is 1574, but it’s a struggle.

The real highlight of the whole period looks like Saturday morning, August 8th. The swell is a solid 6ft from the SW, 13-second period, and the wind is offshore from the W at 6 mph. That’s clean, groomed surf. The combined energy is 976, which is moderate, but the offshore breeze will bring up some nice, peeling lines. The crowd factor is listed as ‘often’, so expect some company, but with this quality, it’ll be worth it. This is the day to circle.

After that, the wind turns nasty from the SE, and the surf gets lumpy and blown out. Sunday the 9th is a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds. There’s a gap of poor conditions through to Tuesday the 11th.

Tuesday morning, August 11th, brings a brief reprieve with a 4ft S swell, 12-second period, and glassy conditions from the N at 3 mph. The energy is 573. It’s clean, but the swell direction is a bit out of the south, and the optimum is SE, so it might not line up perfectly.

Wednesday the 12th session is a weird one. The swell is only 3ft from the SW, but the period is a massive 21 seconds – that’s a very long-period groundswell. The energy is 635, and it’s glassy calm. This will be a very clean, very slow, but very long wave. It’ll be a cruise, not a performance session.

From Thursday the 13th onward, the swell gets bigger again, up to 8ft from the SW, but the wind is cross-onshore from the SSE. The energy is pumping at 2779, but it’s just too choppy and messy for a good paddle. For the rest of the second week, the wind stays strong from the SE and SSE, with swell in the 3ft to 7ft range. Conditions are poor through to the end of the forecast window. There’s no real standout in the second week; it’s a long stretch of blown-out, lumpy surf.

So, bottom line: Monday morning the 3rd is a nice, gentle start. Saturday morning the 8th is your best bet for clean, offshore waves with some punch. The rest of the time, you’ll be battling the wind.

Rusty.

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