Surf Forecasts:
Gansbaai surf forecast from 17 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,351 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Gansbaai this week:
The surf forecast for Gansbaai over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 13s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Gansbaai in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Gansbaai over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Mon night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2658 | 2187 | 1624 | 1068 | 2815 | 2507 | 1978 | 1771 | 3370 | 3707 | 2622 | 1488 | 628 | 458 | 425 | 1627 | 2221 | 2039 | 1477 | 1012 | 694 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-on | on | glassy | off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 6:12PM1.47m | 6:29AM1.25m | 6:46PM1.33m | 7:07AM1.13m | 7:25PM1.19m | 7:59AM1.02m | 8:25PM1.07m | 9:40AM0.94m | 10:21PM1.01m | 11:57AM0.98m | 00:08AM1.06m | 1:01PM1.10m | 1:04AM1.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:56AM0.26m | 00:30AM0.32m | 12:28PM0.39m | 1:06AM0.45m | 1:02PM0.53m | 1:50AM0.57m | 1:49PM0.65m | 3:11AM0.66m | 3:40PM0.74m | 5:33AM0.65m | 6:09PM0.70m | 6:49AM0.55m | 7:10PM0.59m | ||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — |
 | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 2658 | 2187 | 1624 | 1068 | 2815 | 2507 | 1978 | 1771 | 3370 | 3707 | 2622 | 1488 | 628 | 458 | 425 | 1627 | 2221 | 2039 | 1477 | 1012 | 694 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 10 | SW 14 | SW 12 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | WSW 11 | E 9 | — | — | SSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 9 | 17 | 377 | 944 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 447 | 436 | 254 | 1 | — | — | 73 | 334 | 499 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 16 | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 131 | 9 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | — | — | E 3 | — | — | WNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 25 | 86 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 0 | 54 | 41 | 0 | 20 | 323 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 54 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Overberg | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Gansbaai surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Gansbaai Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Gansbaai provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Gansbaai can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Gansbaai surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Gansbaai) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Gansbaai may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Gansbaai is 21 km (13 miles) from Hermanus. If you plan a holiday in Overberg, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hermanus. Hermanus has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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