Horse Trails surf break

Horse Trails surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Thursday 30 Apr 2026 SAST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Horse Trails surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Horse Trails sea temperature is
15.5° C
(Which is 1.9°C colder than average for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Horse Trails this week:

The surf forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Apr 30) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Horse Trails in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 06) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Saturday (May 02) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8PM (Thu 30th Apr)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Best Surf 8PM (Thu 30th Apr)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Most Powerful 8AM (Wed 6th May)11ft (3.5m) 13s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 13°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, fresh winds from the N by Fri night).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 49mm), heaviest during Wed morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Thu
30
Friday
1
Saturday
2
Sunday
3
Monday
4
Tuesday
5
Wednesday
6
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
Rating
(10 max)
1
4
2
1
!
!
2
3
2
1
2
2
1
3
3
3
3
1
0
3
3
Swell
Height Map
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.components.forecast-table.maps.snow_map">Snow Map</span>
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SSW
16
2.5
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
12
3
SW
12
3
WSW
11
2.5
WSW
11
2
WSW
11
1.1
WSW
15
1.2
WSW
14
2.2
WSW
13
2.3
W
13
2.1
WSW
13
2
WSW
12
2.3
WSW
12
2.1
W
12
2.2
S
12
2.5
S
13
2.3
S
12
1.9
S
9
1.6
S
9
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
3278
2560
2013
1760
2282
1782
1349
850
544
594
1699
1806
1365
1084
1468
1227
1369
2342
1447
627
417
Wind (km/h)
15
SSW
10
N
25
N
30
NNW
30
N
30
N
15
NW
10
N
15
NNW
20
NW
30
N
15
NW
15
WNW
10
NE
15
N
10
W
5
WSW
20
S
25
S
5
SSE
5
E
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
glassy
glassy
High Tide
2:43PM1.41m
2:47AM1.51m
3:12PM1.42m
3:17AM1.49m
3:42PM1.41m
3:47AM1.45m
4:12PM1.38m
4:18AM1.40m
4:44PM1.33m
4:50AM1.32m
5:18PM1.26m
5:24AM1.24m
5:57PM1.19m
6:02AM1.15m
Low Tide
8:44PM0.22m
9:07AM0.11m
9:14PM0.22m
9:35AM0.12m
9:44PM0.24m
10:03AM0.16m
10:14PM0.28m
10:33AM0.22m
10:45PM0.34m
11:04AM0.29m
11:18PM0.41m
11:38AM0.36m
11:56PM0.50m
12:18PM0.44m
clear
clear
cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
rain showers
light rain
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:20
7:20
7:20
7:22
7:22
7:24
7:24
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:07
6:06
6:05
6:04
6:02
6:01
6:00
6:00
5
8
3
5
2
1
5
20
2
Temp °C
18
16
15
17
16
16
18
17
20
19
17
16
17
15
16
17
15
16
17
16
16
15
14
10
11
10
11
14
16
18
16
16
14
14
13
12
14
13
13
12
14
16
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SSW
16
2.5
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
12
3
SW
12
3
WSW
11
2.5
WSW
11
2
WSW
11
1.6
WSW
10
1.6
WSW
10
2.2
WSW
13
2.3
W
13
2.1
WSW
13
2
WSW
12
2.3
WSW
12
2.1
W
12
2.2
S
12
0.9
WSW
11
0.9
SW
14
1.9
S
9
1.6
S
9
Energy kJ
3278
2560
2013
1760
2282
1782
1349
850
544
533
1699
1806
1365
1084
1468
1227
1369
213
288
627
417
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
SSE
11
0.4
SE
11
0.1
SE
11
0.1
SE
10
0.1
W
21
0.8
S
11
0.8
S
11
0.8
WSW
16
1.1
WSW
15
1.2
WSW
14
0.5
SSW
13
0.7
SSW
12
0.7
SSW
12
0.7
SSW
11
1.6
SSW
11
2.1
S
11
1.6
W
12
0.9
SW
15
0.6
WSW
11
0.8
WSW
13
0.9
WSW
15
Energy kJ
25
31
4
4
9
157
151
302
544
594
101
157
150
128
603
1124
699
309
91
219
334
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.1
W
21
0.2
WSW
20
0.4
WSW
18
0.8
S
10
0.7
S
10
0.6
S
10
0.4
S
10
0.1
SW
21
0.3
SW
18
0.4
SW
18
0.7
SW
16
0.1
W
13
0.4
SW
16
0.4
SW
18
Energy kJ
9
37
127
138
100
71
31
17
51
80
264
3
67
82
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
NNW
4
1
NW
4
1.1
NNW
5
0.5
NNE
4
0.8
NNW
4
2.5
S
13
2.3
S
12
Energy kJ
18
38
54
11
20
2342
1447
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
4
4
3
4
1
3
4
2
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
3
3
3
Distance (km)
8
0
193
193
161
97
36
0
6
36
81
31
31
0
15
20
127
127
127
0
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
2
4
4
3
4
3
4
4
4
4
3
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
4
4
4
5
4
4
3
4
4
3
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
3
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
6
7
6
9
5
4
5
4
5
4
5
5
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Horse Trails:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Horse Trails 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 Horse Trails Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Horse Trails provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Horse Trails can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Horse Trails 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 (Horse Trails) 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 Horse Trails 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.

Horse Trails is 8 km (5 miles) from the very large city of Robben Island. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Robben Island. Robben Island has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as cheap car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest