Fish Hoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let me tell you what we’ve got cookin’ for Fish Hoek. It’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag over the next fortnight, and we’ve got a slow start before things start to fire.

The first proper surf we see isn’t until Thursday the 27th. Up until then, it’s a write-off – strong onshore winds and lumpy conditions are just makin’ a mess of things. Wednesday the 26th has a tiny bit of swell, but the wind is on it, so it’s not worth paddling out for.

Thursday 27th August is where it gets interesting. The morning bumps up with a 4ft south swell, and the wind swings northwest, coming cross-offshore. That’s a clean look. The afternoon gets even better with a westerly offshore breeze, cleanin’ up the same 4ft swell. The swell energy is moderate (631 & 452), and with a 12-second period, you’ll feel some proper push. For a beginner-friendly break like Fish Hoek, this is a solid, clean session.

Friday 28th and Saturday 29th are a bit of a letdown. The wind turns cross-on again, and the wave heights drop off. Not worth your time.

Sunday 30th August sees a bit of a pulse – 5ft in the morning – but that cross-on wind from the SSE makes it choppy and lumpy. The afternoon is the same story with stronger wind. A pass.

Monday 31st August is the first real standout. Morning glass-off! Winds are light and variable from the southwest, dead calm. The swell is a clean 5ft from the southwest, with a 12-second period. The energy is moderate (542). This is gonna be absolutely clean, smooth, and fun. A perfect day for a longboard or a mid-length. This is the best on offer in the first week.

Tuesday 1st September sees the swell jump up. Morning is 7ft, afternoon is a solid 10ft, both from the southwest. This is big for Fish Hoek. The wind stays cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but at 7ft it’s getting big for beginners, and at 10ft it’s expert territory only. The swell energy is strong to very strong (1693 & 3570), and the period is 13-14 seconds – a proper groundswell. This is a serious session only for the experienced crew.

Wednesday 2nd September is still big, 8ft in the morning, but a cross-shore wind messes it up. The afternoon is a right-off with cross-on wind and 8ft of chop. Not good.

Thursday 3rd September is the other true standout. Morning glass again! A 8ft south-southwest swell with a 12-second period, and the wind is dead calm. This is described as excellent for experienced surfers. The energy is strong (1398). You get big, clean sets with easy paddling between them. This is a serious session for the strong paddlers. The afternoon has a shorter period (9 seconds) and a cross-off wind, so it’s still clean but a bit less organized.

Friday 4th September onwards, the wind turns nasty again. Strong SE winds blow onshore, making the big swell (7ft+) a total mess. It stays junk right through the weekend and into the next week. There’s a tiny window on Monday 7th September with a small 3ft swell and offshore wind, but it’s small and clean. The rest of the second week is mostly small, weak, and blown out.

So, the best two windows are Monday 31st August morning for the glassy, clean, and fun-sized waves, and Thursday 3rd September morning for the big, powerful, glassy sets for the experts. The water temp is about 59°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so don’t forget your wetsuit.

Rusty.

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