Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 31 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 7,932 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 31 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s period with SW swell.
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 Friday (Jul 31) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 19s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Horse Trails in the next 16 days are 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Fri 31st Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your wettie. This is Rusty, giving you the straight talk on what’s coming up for Horse Trails.
The next couple of weeks start off pretty relaxed but build into some real muscle by the middle of next week. We’ve got a long, clean run of surf kicking off this Friday morning, July 31st. The water’s at 55.9°, which is a solid 3.8° colder than normal for this time of year—that anomaly is notable, so a thicker suit might be a good call first session.
We start Friday with a clean 3.9ft SW groundswell (combined energy is moderate at 436) under a light cross-off breeze. It’s going to be good. By Saturday morning, August 1st, it cleans right up with an offshore wind from the ENE and the swell bumps to 3.9ft with a nice 14-second period, packing a bit more punch (585 energy). That’s a standout window. Glassy conditions Sunday afternoon too, with 3.9ft and that long SW groundswell rolling in.
Monday morning, August 3rd, looks like the pick of the first week. The wind goes dead calm, glassy as a mirror, and we see 4.3ft of 14-second WSW groundswell pushing nearly 1000 on the energy scale (989). That is proper, clean, well-shaped surf.
Now, here’s where it goes next level—but only for the experienced crew. From Wednesday the 5th of August through to the 7th, the swell pumps up to 9.8ft and even 13.1ft to 14.8ft, all from the SW with those long 14-second intervals. The combined energy jumps into the thousands (over 6000 at one point). Conditions look clean with light winds or even glass, but at those sizes, this sandbar setup is strictly for experts only. Beginners, sit this one out.
There’s a solid run of surf through the second week, starting Wednesday, August 12th, with a clean 4.9ft WSW swell and an offshore wind (700 energy). It’s good, but the swell direction shifts a bit more WSW, and the energy dips compared to the big stuff. The following days hold consistent 4.9ft to 5.6ft surf, mostly clean in the mornings. By Saturday, August 15th, we’ve got a nice 5.2ft W swell with a clean offshore breeze again—a solid way to finish the outlook.
The crowd factor is worth a mention here—it says ‘sometimes’ for Horse Trails, so while it won’t be a circus, you could bump into a few others on those clean, glassy mornings.
Biggest standout: Definitely Monday, August 3rd, for the glassy, moderate-sized groundswell. For the big wave hunters, the 5th through to the 7th is your window, but it’s only for experts.
Stay stoked.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 10°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 416 | 355 | 250 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 486 | 442 | 591 | 712 | 1028 | 822 | 534 | 392 | 472 | 3192 | 3336 | 3978 | 6236 | 7932 | 5302 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | glassy | off | off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:33PM1.52m | 4:41AM1.42m | 5:03PM1.53m | 5:13AM1.39m | 5:34PM1.52m | 5:48AM1.34m | 6:08PM1.47m | 6:28AM1.27m | 6:48PM1.41m | 7:15AM1.19m | 7:38PM1.32m | 8:20AM1.10m | 8:48PM1.23m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:18AM0.12m | 10:42PM0.20m | 10:47AM0.13m | 11:13PM0.20m | 11:16AM0.16m | 11:47PM0.21m | 11:48AM0.21m | 00:24AM0.25m | 12:25PM0.29m | 1:09AM0.31m | 1:11PM0.39m | 2:07AM0.39m | 2:13PM0.48m | 3:28AM0.44m | |||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | | | |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 416 | 355 | 250 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 486 | 442 | 591 | 712 | 1028 | 822 | 534 | 392 | 281 | 3192 | 3336 | 3978 | 6236 | 7932 | 5302 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | S 9 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 13 | — | — | S 18 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | — | — | WSW 14 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 7 | 60 | 215 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 118 | 25 | 277 | — | — | 6 | 24 | 472 | — | — | 1023 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | — | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | S 9 | S 8 | — | — | — | — | SSW 16 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 13 | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 24 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NW 4 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 38 | 233 | 38 | 2 | 15 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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