Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Fish Hoek.

First up, the water is sitting at 58° F right now, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t be shy with the rubber.

Right now, and for the next few days, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a strong onshore breeze howling from the SE, with gusts up to 34 mph, and the swell is all over the place. The combined wave energy is pretty moderate to strong (957–1004), but it’s messy and the period is short, around 8 to 9 seconds. That’s just wind chop. No good for a paddle.

Saturday the 5th is more of the same – wind still up, surf poor. You’re better off doing something else.

Sunday the 6th is a tease. The wind drops right off in the morning, light breeze, and we get a pulse of long-period groundswell from the SW, 18 seconds, with a combined energy of 1899. That’s a solid amount of energy, but the swell is only 5 ft and the wind is onshore. It’s marginal, and the tide might play tricks on you. The afternoon is cross-onshore, making it bumpy.

Now, Monday the 7th is where it starts to get interesting. The wind swings around to the NW, offshore and light, which is a massive positive. The swell is from the SSW at 3 ft in the morning, bumping up to 5 ft in the afternoon, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (741–751), but with glassy, clean conditions, this is a solid window for a fun session. The waves should be well-shaped, though the long period might make it a bit straight at a beach break. Still, this is the best on offer in the first week.

Tuesday the 8th is small, with 2 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, but the morning is glassy. Only for the longboard or a fun log, but clean.

Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th see the wind turning cross-onshore again, and the surf gets choppy and poor. The swell picks up a bit on Thursday to 5 ft–6 ft from the SW, but the wind ruins it. The energy is strong (963–1243), but it’s lumpy and messy.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th are a write-off again. Strong winds, onshore, big swell but messy. The combined energy on Saturday hits over 2000, which is a lot of power, but it’s all blown out. This is more of a kite-surfing scenario than a paddling one.

We then have a gap of poor conditions all the way through to the middle of the next week. The period from the 13th to the 17th is mostly onshore, with strong winds and poor surf. There’s a small window on Tuesday the 15th where the wind is cross-offshore from the NNW, giving clean waves at 6 ft–6 ft from the S, but the period is short (9 seconds) and the score is marginal. It’s clean, but not great.

The Standout:
The real highlight is way out there, nearly two weeks from now, on Friday the 18th of September. The morning session looks absolutely firing. We’ve got a 10 ft SW groundswell, with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 3224 – that’s very strong. The wind is glassy, coming from the SW at just 3 mph. This is a serious swell, only for experienced surfers. It’s way too big for beginners. The long period will make it powerful and likely better on a point or reef, but for a beach break, it might be a bit straight. Still, glassy and 10 ft of SW groundswell is a dream. The afternoon is still decent, with 8 ft and a cross-shore wind, but the morning is the one.

Saturday the 19th drops off quickly, back to 4 ft and smaller.

So, to wrap it up: the first week has a clean, fun window on Monday the 7th. The second week is mostly a bust until that big, glassy Friday the 18th, which is the real standout, but it’s a long way off and could change.

Stay frothy, and don’t forget your hood.

Rusty.

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