Haardebaai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at the South African line-up.

The first half of the outlook has a bit of a slow burn. Through Monday and Tuesday (13th–14th July), don’t get your hopes up. The swell is around the 2ft to 3ft mark with a weak energy reading (down to 105 in the trough), and while there are moments of glass, it’s just too small to bother with. That’s a quiet start.

Now, Wednesday the 15th of July is where we start to see the first proper spike. Morning brings in a 5ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period and energy climbing to 1729 (moderate). Wind is a light offshore NNW, so things are clean. By the afternoon, the swell jumps to a solid 10ft from the SW (15-second period), energy rockets up to 5004 (strong), and the wind goes light cross-off. This is only for experienced surfers – it is big and powerful – but for those blokes at Haardebaai (reef), it will be firing. The optimum swell direction is W, and this is coming from the SW, so it’s not a perfect match, but with that kind of energy and offshore wind, it will be well overhead and very clean.

Thursday the 16th keeps that energy going with an 8ft morning (2417 energy) and clean offshore NW wind. This is still big and best left for advanced crew. Friday the 17th turns into a write-off with strong onshore winds (SE 25 mph) and lumpy conditions. The weekend (18th–19th) is hit-and-miss, but Sunday morning the 19th recovers with a clean 7ft WSW swell and gentle offshore winds (1182 energy), a good chance for a session if you’re comfortable.

Then a notable gap of poor conditions hits from Monday 20th through to Tuesday 21st, with onshore winds and messy seas. Wednesday the 22nd of July sees a massive 12ft SSW groundswell (16 seconds, 5928 energy), but it’s marred by a strong cross-onshore wind at 25 mph – too messy for real surfing, maybe more your speed if you’re on a kite.

The true standout is Thursday the 24th of July. Morning brings an 8ft WSW swell with a 12-second period (2219 energy) and a gentle offshore NW breeze. Clean, powerful, and with that direction pointing near the optimum for Haardebaai, this is the pick of the bunch. The afternoon gets even bigger at 12ft from the WSW (3937 energy) with a moderate offshore NNW, so if you’re advanced, you’ll want to be out there.

The final days (25th–28th July) get wild. Friday 25th and Saturday 26th see the swell absolutely detonate – 16ft to 18ft with energy into the 14,000s – but strong onshore winds ruin any quality for paddle surfing. Then Monday 27th of July offers a late reprieve: a 10ft SW swell (14 seconds, 3827 energy) with a light offshore NNW wind. Clean and huge, definitely only an option for experts.

Water temperature is about average for the time of year.

So, if you’re looking for a window, lock in the morning of the 24th for the best balance of size, direction, and clean conditions.

Stay stoked.

Rusty.

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