Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right folks, pull up a rock and listen. It’s Rusty here. Gonna be honest with you straight off the bat: the next week-plus is looking pretty grim for a proper paddle at Fish Hoek. We’ve got a solid run of poor surf conditions and scores that are basically zero for the first few days, so don’t get your hopes up for this weekend.

Starting from Friday the 10th, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a 6ft SSW swell, but it’s getting smashed by a 30 km/h cross-on shore wind from the SE. That’s lumpy, messy, and just plain ugly. The combined wave energy is strong at 1062, but it’s all noise. That pattern holds through Saturday and Sunday—some clean-ish skies, but the wind stays onshore or cross-on, keeping the surface bumpy. We’re looking at a gap of several days with no real recommendations.

Monday the 13th is still tiny and weak, with energy dropping to 165. Don’t even think about it. We finally get a little respite on Tuesday the 14th. The swell is down to 2ft, but for the first time we get a clean cross-offshore wind in the morning and a proper offshore from the west in the afternoon. The energy is weak (60–66), but at least the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but barely.

Wednesday the 15th morning is interesting. We get a glassy, dead-calm morning with a 2ft SW swell, but here’s the kicker: the period is 16 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell. It means better shaped waves, more energy, and longer gaps between sets, which helps with paddling out. Energy is low at 236, but the glassy conditions are a major positive. The break is fairly consistent and fairly exposed to the swell. It’s a beginner-friendly spot normally, but that long period might make it break a bit too straight for the beach setup. Still, if you’re keen to get wet, this is a rare window. Wednesday afternoon gets messy again with a 5ft swell and a light cross-on.

Now, mark your calendar for Thursday the 16th. That’s the first proper stand-out. Morning shows 6ft from the SW, period 13 seconds, with a light cross-offshore wind from the WSW. The energy is strong at 1069, and the conditions are expected to be very good. Clean lines, solid push. Afternoon holds up with 5ft and a clean offshore from the west. If you’ve got a window that day, that’s your best bet in the first week.

The following weekend (17th–18th) is a mess again with moderate to fresh onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Nothing doing.

Hold on for Sunday the 19th though. This is a real standout. Morning brings a 7ft WSW swell, period 11 seconds, and glassy conditions—dead calm, clean as a whistle. That’s a solid size, so it’s going to be pushing for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is excellent. Energy is very strong at 1737. The crowd factor at Fish Hoek is “often,” so expect company, but for waves like that, it’s worth it. The water temp is sitting at 60°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The following Wednesday the 22nd looks very good again with a 5ft SSW swell, period 12 seconds, and a clean cross-offshore breeze. Energy is moderate-to-strong at 771. That’s a solid, surfable day.

But the real standout of the entire forecast is Thursday the 23rd of July. Morning shows a massive 10ft SSW swell, period 14 seconds, with glassy conditions. The afternoon bumps to 8ft from the same direction, period 15 seconds, with a clean cross-offshore wind. That energy figure is insane—2841 in the morning and 4150 in the afternoon. That is very strong wave energy. This is for experts only. 10ft is big, and with that long period, it will have serious power. The break is a beach setup, so that long period groundswell might make it a bit walled-up and tricky, but for the skilled crew, this is going to be a day to remember. It’s more than a week away, so take it with a pinch of salt, but the signs are there.

After that, the swell holds through the 24th and 25th at solid sizes (5ft–6ft) with mostly light winds, but the cross-on conditions keep the quality from being top-tier. Still, there’s plenty of energy in the water.

So to boil it down: if you can’t wait, Wednesday the 15th morning for a glassy, tiny long-period session, but Thursday the 16th is your first proper call. For the real deal, Sunday the 19th morning is excellent, and Thursday the 23rd is the big one for the experienced.

Keep your chin up, it’s been a flat run, but it won’t stay poor forever.

Rusty.

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