Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what Fish Hoek has on offer over the next couple of weeks. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit if you’re paddling out.

The outlook starts off pretty grim, to be honest. Sunday morning the 23rd has a 5ft SW swell with a 13-second period, but it’s riddled with a cross-on breeze from the SSE. The combined energy is moderate at 816, but the conditions are marginal, and the wind just messes it up. The afternoon is much the same, with a 5ft SW swell (689 energy), still cross-on and choppy. Monday the 24th is a write-off – the swell drops to 4ft and the wind picks up, making for messy, poor surf. Tuesday the 25th sees the swell back up to 5ft from the SW with a 14-second period, but a fresh to strong cross-on breeze from the SE makes it lumpy and messy. That’s a pass from me.

We get a small window on Thursday the 27th. The morning has a clean 4ft swell from the S (11-second period, 588 energy) with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NW. The afternoon holds a 4ft S swell (382 energy) with the same clean conditions. It’s not big, but it’s the first decent surf we’ve seen, so it’s worth a look if you’re desperate.

After that, it’s pretty average again through to the end of August. Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th have small, choppy or clean but weak surf (360-411 energy) with poor conditions. Sunday the 30th afternoon shows a promising sign – a 3ft WSW swell with a 12-second period and a moderate offshore breeze from the WNW, making for clean conditions (354 energy). That’s surfable, but nothing special.

The first few days of September see a spike in size but the wind is all wrong. Tuesday the 1st has a 7ft SW swell (1527 energy) but a strong onshore wind from the SE makes it unsurfable. Wednesday the 2nd is similar – a 7ft WSW swell (1407-1435 energy) with clean cross-offshore winds, but the size is pushing it for the crowd at Fish Hoek, and the conditions are only marginal.

The standout true option in this entire 16-day window lands on Monday the 7th of September, in the afternoon. The swell hits 8ft from the SW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is a strong 1756. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore from the WSW, keeping the surf clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers, but at over 8ft, it’s definitely only for the crew with some time in the water. The long period groundswell will mean longer lulls between sets, so paddling out won’t be as hectic as it looks, but the waves themselves will have plenty of punch.

No other break is given, so we’re stuck with Fish Hoek. There are gaps of a few days with no recommendations, like from Sunday the 23rd through to Wednesday the 26th, but the forecast can always change. For now, keep your eye on that Monday the 7th afternoon session – it’s the only real standout on offer.

Rusty.

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