Horse Trails Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.78° S 18.45° E

Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 30 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Horse Trails sea temperature is
13.3° C
2.1° 

Horse Trails surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Horse Trails surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 6,953 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s 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 Thursday (Jul 30) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Horse Trails in the next 16 days are 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 5s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Thu 30th Jul)4.5ft (1.3m) 13s
Best Surf 8AM (Wed 5th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 16s
Most Powerful 8PM (Thu 6th Aug)13ft (4.0m) 15s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. It’s been a quiet spell, but we’ve got a run of surf starting to line up. Let’s get into it.

The first decent window kicks off on Thursday, 30th July, at Horse Trails. Water temp is sitting at 56°F, which is a solid 4°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a frigid anomaly, so don’t skimp on the rubber. We’re looking at a 5ft swell from the SW, with a period of 13 seconds – that’s a nice, long-period groundswell bringing proper energy. The combined energy is moderate at 677. The wind is a light cross-on from the S at 6 mph, which is surfable but not pristine. It’s a “fairly consistent” sandbar break, so you’ll get waves, but expect a few ripples on the face.

Moving into Friday, 31st July, we see things clean up nicely. The morning brings a 4ft SW swell at 12 seconds (moderate energy, 436), with a light cross-off breeze from the ESE at 6 mph. That’s clean. Then Friday afternoon is the real gem: the swell drops slightly to 4ft, but the wind goes glassy – S at just 3 mph. Glassy conditions, moderate energy (415), and a 12-second period. That’s the kind of session where you’re just gliding. It’s not a massive swell, but it’s clean and fun.

Saturday, 1st August, keeps the vibe going. Morning is best: 4ft from the SW, now a 14-second period (longer, more power), with an offshore wind from the E at 3 mph. Combined energy is 585 – moderate, but that long period will have some punch. Clean, offshore, little crowd. That’s a standout window. The afternoon turns cross-on again, so get out early.

Sunday, 2nd August, morning is clean again – 4ft SW, 13 seconds, cross-off from the N at 3 mph. Clean. Energy is 485. Another good morning session.

Now, Monday, 3rd August, is where things get interesting for the experienced crew. The morning swell jumps to 6ft from the SW, 14 seconds, with glassy conditions (N at 0 mph). The combined energy is strong at 1340. That’s a solid, powerful groundswell with no wind – perfect lines. But at 6ft, it’s getting into the zone where beginners might feel the push. The afternoon sees a 7ft swell from the WSW, but with an onshore wind, so it’s messy.

Tuesday, 4th August, morning is back to a manageable 5ft from the SW, 11 seconds, with a clean cross-off breeze. Energy is 604. Good, solid surf. The afternoon turns onshore and poor.

The Big Standout (for experts only): Wednesday, 5th August, morning. The swell is 10ft from the SW, with a 15-second period – that’s a very long-period groundswell, massive energy (4539). The wind is a cross-shore from the NNW at 9 mph, which is manageable. This is a heavy, powerful wave for Horse Trails. At 10ft, it’s strictly for experts. The swell is too big for this sandbar break for the average punter. The same goes for Thursday, 6th August, with 10ft to 13ft swells and glassy conditions – massive energy (4031 to 6729), but again, it’s just too big for this spot to be fun for most.

From Friday, 7th August, through to Wednesday, 12th August, the swell stays big (8ft to 16ft), but the wind often gets onshore or too strong. There are some clean windows on the 7th and 8th, but the size remains a problem for Horse Trails. On Saturday, 8th, and Sunday, 9th, we see a monster 16ft S swell with near-gale force winds – that’s not surfable, that’s a weather warning.

The tail end of the period, from 10th to 14th August, continues to pump out 10ft to 13ft SW swells, but the wind is often cross-on or onshore, with some strong breezes. There’s a glimmer on Monday, 10th August, afternoon: a 7ft S swell, 10 seconds, with a light cross-off breeze. That’s 1433 energy – moderate-strong – and clean. That’s a good session for experienced surfers, but the period is a bit short (10 seconds) so it’ll be a bit more jumbled than the long-period stuff.

Best Bet for the Average Surfer: Friday, 31st July afternoon, and Saturday, 1st August morning. Small, clean, offshore/glassy, and manageable size. That’s the sweet spot.

For the Experts: The morning of Wednesday, 5th August, and Thursday, 6th August, offer massive, clean groundswell, but be ready for a serious beating.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Thu
30
Friday
31
Saturday
1
Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
2
2
1
3
4
3
3
2
0
3
!
0
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.4
SW
13
1.3
SW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.1
SW
12
0.7
WSW
16
1.2
SW
14
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.3
SW
13
1.8
SW
14
2
WSW
13
1.9
SW
12
1.6
SW
11
1.4
SW
11
1.7
SW
14
3
SW
15
3.5
SW
15
3
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
669
545
416
355
250
581
494
486
479
442
609
1340
1444
993
604
423
1147
4539
4618
4163
Wind (km/h)
10
S
10
E
10
ESE
5
S
10
E
5
E
10
S
10
E
5
N
5
NW
5
NE
0
N
5
SW
5
NE
5
N
10
WSW
5
N
20
NNW
20
NW
15
NNE
Wind State
cross-on
off
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
off
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
off
glassy
on
glassy
cross-off
on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
High Tide
4:03PM1.49m
4:09AM1.43m
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
Low Tide
10:11PM0.22m
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
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:39
7:37
7:37
7:37
7:35
7:35
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:05
6:05
6:06
6:07
6:07
6:07
6:08
 mm
Temp °C
18
17
18
22
20
20
23
21
20
22
17
16
17
16
15
16
14
13
14
14
Feels °C
16
15
15
19
17
17
20
18
17
19
16
14
15
14
13
14
13
10
9
11
  • 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
How to use the Wavefinder 
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