Horse Trails Surf Break

Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 33.78° S 18.45° E

Issued: 7 am 04 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Horse Trails sea temperature is
13.0° C

2.6°C colder than average for this time of year

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 4 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 6 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 8 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 16s period, SW swell with 2,374 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 9s period with WSW 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 Saturday (Jul 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 15s. 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 2.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 08) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)11PM (Sat 4th Jul)5ft (1.5m) 9s
Best Surf 8AM (Mon 6th Jul)7.5ft (2.3m) 11s
Most Powerful 8PM (Wed 8th Jul)7ft (2.2m) 16s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming down the line for Horse Trails. The next couple of weeks have some real potential, but you’ve gotta pick your moments. The water is sitting at 55°F, which is a solid 5°F colder than normal for this time of year, so a decent wetsuit is a must if you’re heading out.

The week kicks off, but it’s a slow start. Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th are pretty underwhelming with small, weak swell – we’re talking around the 3ft mark and wave energy is barely registering (287 to 514). Winds are okay, but the surf just isn’t there with enough punch to get excited about.

Now, Monday the 6th is where things get interesting. The morning is looking absolutely magic. We’ve got a solid 7ft swell from the WSW with a moderate energy level (1255) and glassy conditions – that's a rare combo. This is a standout session for intermediate surfers; the waves will have some real shape and be clean as a whistle.

Tuesday the 7th morning is a similar story with a 7ft SW swell, still glassy, and that same good energy (1281). Probably the pick of the whole run if I’m honest. The afternoon winds swing a little onshore, so get in early.

Wednesday the 8th gets a bit messier with a bigger jump in energy (2688) but the wind picks up from the SSE at 12 mph, putting a cross-chop on the face. Still surfable for experienced guys, but the clean windows are gone.

Thursday the 9th morning is a real sleeper hit for the experienced crew. A 8ft SW groundswell (14-second period) with cross-offshore winds. That’s clean, powerful, and a little raw. Wave energy is strong at 2293. This is the best swell direction for Horse Trails, so the banks should be handling it well. For the true standout on this forecast – Thursday morning is it.

The following weekend (11th and 12th) settles back down to smaller, cleaner surf in the 5ft range. Nice for a cruise.

There’s a long gap of quiet, smaller days from the 14th through the 17th, with waves rarely hitting 3ft. The exceptions are the afternoon of the 17th, which offers a short-period 4ft wave (6 seconds) from the south – it’s punchy but weak in energy (306), or the morning of the 18th with a 5ft SW groundswell (14 seconds) but moderate cross-shore chop.

Overall, the window from Monday morning the 6th through to Thursday the 10th has the most consistent, good-quality surf. The absolute standout is Thursday the 9th morning for experienced surfers, with Tuesday morning the 7th running a close second for cleaner conditions. Don’t sleep on that Monday glass-off either.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Tue afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
4
Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
1
2
2
1
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
2
2
3
4
2
3
2
3
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
WNW
8
0.7
SW
15
0.9
SW
14
0.8
SW
13
1.2
WSW
9
2.1
WSW
12
2.2
WSW
11
2.2
WSW
11
2.3
WSW
11
2
SW
12
2.3
SW
12
2.5
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
1.8
SW
13
2.3
SW
15
2.3
SW
14
2.1
SW
13
1.9
SW
13
1.7
SSW
12
1.7
SSW
12
1.5
SSW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
138
232
301
215
232
1158
1183
1183
1328
1111
1518
2108
1857
1018
2199
1998
1565
1230
937
908
691
Wind (km/h)
15
N
10
NNW
10
NNE
10
N
5
WNW
5
NNE
5
ESE
10
SSW
5
SE
5
SSW
10
SW
10
SSE
20
SSE
20
SSE
15
SE
15
SE
15
SSE
15
SE
20
SE
10
SE
15
ESE
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross-on
cross
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
6:06PM1.39m
6:15AM1.25m
6:44PM1.37m
6:59AM1.20m
7:27PM1.34m
7:53AM1.14m
8:20PM1.31m
9:01AM1.10m
9:26PM1.29m
10:21AM1.10m
10:42PM1.29m
11:40AM1.15m
11:57PM1.34m
Low Tide
11:44AM0.24m
00:16AM0.35m
12:19PM0.29m
00:58AM0.37m
12:59PM0.35m
1:48AM0.38m
1:49PM0.41m
2:50AM0.40m
2:52PM0.47m
4:03AM0.39m
4:12PM0.49m
5:22AM0.34m
5:37PM0.45m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
7:50
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:49
5:50
5:50
5:51
5:51
5:52
5:52
 mm
Temp °C
13
16
14
16
17
16
15
18
16
16
17
16
15
16
15
14
16
14
14
18
16
Feels °C
9
12
11
13
15
15
15
18
16
16
17
16
11
12
12
11
13
11
10
15
13
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
WNW
8
1.3
W
8
1.4
WSW
9
1.1
W
8
1.2
WSW
9
2.1
WSW
12
2.2
WSW
11
2.2
WSW
11
2.3
WSW
11
2
SW
12
2.3
SW
12
2.5
SW
13
2.4
SW
13
1.8
SW
13
2.3
SW
15
2.3
SW
14
2.1
SW
13
1.9
SW
13
1.7
SSW
12
1.7
SSW
12
1.5
SSW
12
Energy kJ
138
219
268
161
232
1158
1183
1183
1328
1111
1518
2108
1857
1018
2199
1998
1565
1230
937
908
691
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.8
SW
8
0.7
SW
15
0.9
SW
14
0.8
SW
13
0.8
SW
13
0.3
SW
18
0.4
SW
16
0.8
SW
14
1.3
W
11
0.8
W
11
0.5
W
11
0.5
SW
20
1.1
SW
18
1.3
SW
16
1.2
S
8
1.2
S
8
1.2
S
8
1
S
8
0.8
SSE
8
0.7
SSE
8
Energy kJ
80
232
301
215
199
49
67
265
411
149
57
188
781
931
163
163
172
127
83
68
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SW
10
0.6
SW
10
0.2
S
8
0.7
WSW
10
0.1
SW
19
0.1
SE
12
0.1
SE
12
0.1
SW
23
0.3
SW
22
0.2
W
14
0.4
W
13
0.6
S
15
Energy kJ
69
63
6
92
14
6
5
21
73
16
54
159
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
S
4
1.5
S
6
1.4
S
7
1.3
SSE
6
1.7
SSE
7
1.6
SSE
7
Energy kJ
50
154
192
132
285
249
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
2
2
2
3
3
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
Distance (km)
4
6
0
0
31
0
0
2
0
0
15
2
16
15
2
0
3
2
2
0
0
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town
Rating
(10 max)
2
3
3
2
2
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
5
5
4
4
4
5
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
5
5
9
6
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
7
5
4
8
4
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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