Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright surfers, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming our way for Fish Hoek. It’s a bit of a slow burner for the first week, but if you’ve got patience, the second week is shaping up to be a real cracker.

We kick off on Wednesday, 29 July, and honestly, the first few days are pretty ordinary. The swell is hanging around 3-4ft from the SW with a solid 13-second period, giving us a moderate 772 of energy, but the wind is all over the place with cross and cross-on breezes. It’s not doing the waves any favours. The water’s sitting at 60°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Thursday and Friday (30-31 July) are pretty flat and messy, with the swell dropping and the wind keeping things choppy. You could paddle out, but you wouldn’t be stoked. We’ve got a big gap of dud conditions right through the end of this week.

Then, a little glimmer on Saturday morning, 1 August. The swell is still small at 2-3ft from the SW, but the wind goes glassy. That's the key. For a couple of hours, Fish Hoek could be clean and fun if you’re on a longboard. It’s just small. Sunday and Monday (2-3 August) stay small but clean with cross-off and glassy conditions, but the energy is weak (238-369). It’s surfable, but it’s not going to set the world on fire.

Now, the real story starts Wednesday, 5 August. A big pulse of SW groundswell hits, starting at 6-7ft on Wednesday morning and jumping to 8ft by the afternoon. The combined energy jumps up into the thousands (1757-2306)! But here’s the catch – the wind is howling from the N and NNW at 22-28 mph. That’s a strong breeze, even if it’s cross-off. It’s going to be a wild, bumpy mess on the inside. Honestly, with that much wind and a beach break setup, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Wait for it.

Thursday, 6 August, stays big (8-10ft) but the winds ease and it gets a bit cleaner as the day goes on. It’s still only for the experienced crew.

The true standout is Friday morning, 7 August. This is the one. We’ve got a solid 10ft SW swell with a long 14-second period, pumping out a massive 4385 of energy. The best part? Clean, offshore WNW wind at just 3 mph. This is going to be excellent surf for experienced surfers. The only thing to keep in mind is that long-period SW groundswell can sometimes close out a beach break, but with that offshore wind and the size, Fish Hoek is going to have some serious power and shape. Get out there early.

The weekend of 8-9 August looks really good too. The swell drops slightly to 5-7ft but it stays clean with offshore winds. Consistent, solid waves for anyone who is comfortable in that size.

We hit a bit of a stormy mess on Monday, 10 August, with 10ft swell and a screaming 28 mph SE wind – crossed out and dangerous. Skip that. But then Tuesday, 11 August is another gem. The wind goes glassy again in the morning with an 8ft SSW swell. For the experts, that’s going to be a beautiful, clean session.

The rest of the second week (12-13 August) tapers off in size and quality, with the wind getting messy again.

So, the bottom line: you can scratch around for tiny, glassy waves on Saturday 1 August, but the real gold is Friday 7 August and Tuesday 11 August for experienced surfers. Mark your calendars.

Rusty.

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