Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, with a whole lotta "not quite" for most of the run.

We kick things off over this coming weekend and the start of the new week with a decent amount of swell in the water, but the wind is just going to be a pain in the arse, mate. We're looking at a constant cross-onshore flow from the SSE, and it's just going to leave the surface lumpy and chopped up. There's some energy there on the Sunday morning, with a 6ft SW swell and a 12-second period, giving us a moderate 1030 wave energy reading, but with that 30 km/h wind, it's just gonna be a waste. The swell backs off a touch to 4ft on Monday, but the wind stays on it. Not your day for a clean wave, that's for sure.

Things get a bit more interesting as we head into the middle of the week. On Tuesday, the swell bumps up to 6ft and then 7ft, with the period stretching out to a nice 13 seconds, and the energy starts to build with readings up to 1589 in the afternoon. The wind eases off to that light cross-shore, but it's still not offshore. It'll be surfable for the more experienced locals, but it's still got that bit of lumpiness about it. Wednesday sees the swell hold in the 7ft range, but the wind swings back around to that moderate cross-onshore, and it just chops it up again.

Now, hold onto your board for Thursday the 3rd. There's a serious pulse of swell hitting, with the morning showing a massive 16ft SSW swell. The energy reading is huge too, at 6412 – that is a lot of water moving around. But here's the catch, and it's a big one: the wind goes fresh and cross-shore in the morning, then swings to a strong cross-onshore in the arvo. This is way over your head and the conditions will be messy as hell. This is one for the experts only, and even then, it's gonna be a battle. The same goes for Friday – still some solid swell on offer, but that strong cross-onshore wind is going to make it pretty ordinary, and pull it down to 6ft by the morning, before bouncing back to 6ft in the afternoon.

The weekend of the 5th and 6th is looking pretty poor. Saturday is a write-off with fresh cross-onshore winds and the swell dropping right away to 4-5ft with a short, weak 6-second period. Not worth paddling out for. Sunday the 6th is a bit of a tease. In the morning there's a clean 4ft SW groundswell with a long 15-second period, a light offshore wind and an energy reading of 707. It's glassy and clean, but small. This might be the pick of a pretty weak bunch for a log or a fun longboard if you're desperate. The afternoon just dies on its feet again.

That run of small, poor surf then continues through the 7th, 8th, and 9th. Swell hangs around that 1ft to 5ft mark, mostly with onshore or cross-onshore slop, so don't even bother checking it. There's a brief glassy moment on the 9th morning with a 3ft SSE swell, but it's pretty second-rate.

Now, here's the one bright spot on the horizon. On the morning of Thursday the 10th, we finally get the wind to swing offshore from the west. It's a small swell, only 6ft, but it's from the SSE and a short 6-second period. The report says to expect good surf conditions and the wave state is clean. This is the one to keep an eye on. It's not a giant, but with offshore wind and clean conditions, it will be the most fun you'll have had in a while. The afternoon still holds a clean 6ft, but the wind goes a bit cross-off, so make the most of the morning.

But don't get too excited, because after that, the wheels fall off again. Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th see the swell bump back up to 7ft – 8ft, but it's going to be blown out by a strong, onshore SSE wind. Messy, lumpy, and pretty much a complete write-off for a paddle. Sunday the 13th isn't much better, with onshore winds again and a 7ft SE windswell. The 14th sees the swell drop right down again, leaving us with small, clean scraps but nothing that gets the heart racing.

So, if you're keen, your best bets are Thursday the 10th for that clean, offshore morning. The Tuesday before that is also okay if you're desperate for a wave, but it's nothing to write home about. The rest of the run is mostly a story of onshore winds and messy conditions. There'll be a lot of kites out if the wind holds, because the surf will be more their playground than ours.

This is Rusty, signing off. Keep an eye on that Thursday.

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