Horse Trails Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.78° S 18.45° E

Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 13 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Horse Trails sea temperature is
13.6° C
1.8° 

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 14 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,953 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s period with W 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 Tuesday (Jul 14) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Horse Trails in the next 16 days are 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 4s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Tue 14th Jul)3ft (0.9m) 11s
Best Surf 8PM (Wed 15th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 14s
Most Powerful11PM (Wed 15th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 14s

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


The Lowdown

Right, let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Horse Trails. This is a sandbar set-up that’s fairly consistent and fairly exposed, so it’s a bit of a workhorse, but we’ve got a real mixed bag coming up. The best looking stuff is tucked away in the middle of the week, so we’ll get there.

The first few days are a write-off. Tuesday the 14th is flat, gutless, with cross-shore wind and barely a ripple. Forget it. Wednesday the 15th is where it perks up, but only for the early birds. Wednesday morning is the standout of the first week. We’re looking at 4ft of WSW groundswell with a long period of 17 seconds, and the wind is dead calm, glassy. That’s going to be clean, lined up, and the combined energy is decent too (1244). It’s a bit of a long period for a sandbar, so expect it to stand up and wall up, but it’ll be good. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no major anomaly.

Later Wednesday afternoon, the swell jumps to 8ft from the SW (16 seconds, 3402 combined energy), but the wind shifts cross-on, and conditions get a bit messy. Thursday the 16th is similar – 8ft swell, but with a cross-shore breeze and only marginal quality. Not worth the paddle if you’re chasing the best of it.

Friday the 17th morning is a solid option. 7ft of SW swell (11 seconds, 913 combined energy) with a cross-offshore breeze, so it’s clean. That’s a good, punchy wave for intermediates. The afternoon drops off with a cross-shore breeze and less energy.

Saturday the 18th morning is worth a mention. The swell drops to 4ft from the south (11 seconds, 507 combined energy), but it’s glassy again. Small, clean, and fun for a longboard or a fish. Sunday the 19th is bigger, 7ft, but the wind is on it, and it’s just not as clean.

Now, Monday the 20th morning is another little sweet spot. 7ft of SSW swell (11 seconds, 1100 combined energy) with a cross-offshore breeze. Clean, punchy, and a solid intermediate wave.

Then things get serious. From Tuesday the 21st through to Thursday the 23rd, we’ve got 10ft of SW groundswell with periods up to 15 seconds. That’s a lot of water and the combined energy is well over 3000. The wind is actually favourable, but the forecast says the swell is too big for this break. This is for experts only, and even then, it’s going to be a beast. The 22nd has a strong offshore wind, so it’ll be clean, but it’s 10ft and 15 seconds. That’s a proper big-wave session.

Friday the 24th drops back to 4ft, but the wind is up and it’s choppy. Not great.

Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are a mix of small, messy conditions and then another 10ft pulse on Sunday morning that’s again too big for the break.

The real highlight for the second week is Monday the 27th morning. 8ft of WSW groundswell (14 seconds, 2519 combined energy), glassy, and the forecast says excellent for experienced surfers. That’s the one. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s your session. Tuesday the 28th morning is also very good – 6ft of SW swell (13 seconds, 1460 combined energy), glassy, and again excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a quality run of clean, powerful groundswell.

So, the best on offer is Wednesday the 15th morning for the early glassy 4ft session, and then Monday the 27th morning for the bigger, clean, 8ft groundswell for the experienced crew. There’s a long gap of a few days in between where it’s either too big or too messy, so pick your windows.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
14
Wednesday
15
Thursday
16
Friday
17
Saturday
18
Sunday
19
Mon
20
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Rating
(10 max)
2
0
0
2
3
3
!
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
1
3
2
1
3
3
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
W
12
0.9
W
10
0.9
W
10
0.9
W
9
1.3
WSW
17
2.5
SW
16
3
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.3
SW
13
1.8
SW
12
2
SW
11
1.8
SW
11
1.3
SSW
10
1.1
S
11
1
S
11
2.1
WSW
12
2.2
SW
11
2.2
SW
11
2.2
SW
10
2.1
SSW
11
2.2
SSW
11
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
220
167
156
132
975
3326
3705
2241
1671
944
913
759
333
277
227
1256
1193
1130
906
1037
1165
Wind (km/h)
5
NNE
5
NW
5
WNW
5
NNE
0
NE
10
SSW
10
SE
5
SSE
10
SSW
5
SE
10
SE
10
SSE
5
N
5
NNW
5
W
5
NW
10
S
15
S
10
SE
5
SE
10
SSW
Wind State
glassy
cross
cross-on
glassy
glassy
cross-on
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
glassy
glassy
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
High Tide
2:54AM1.55m
3:27PM1.56m
3:42AM1.56m
4:12PM1.61m
4:28AM1.54m
4:55PM1.63m
5:12AM1.48m
5:37PM1.59m
5:55AM1.39m
6:19PM1.52m
6:38AM1.28m
7:01PM1.42m
7:23AM1.17m
7:45PM1.31m
Low Tide
8:48PM0.17m
9:14AM0.02m
9:38PM0.10m
9:58AM-0.00m
10:25PM0.08m
10:40AM0.01m
11:11PM0.09m
11:20AM0.07m
11:55PM0.15m
12:00PM0.16m
00:39AM0.23m
12:39PM0.27m
1:24AM0.33m
1:21PM0.39m
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:48
7:48
7:48
7:48
7:47
7:47
7:46
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:53
5:53
5:54
5:55
5:55
5:57
5:57
5:58
 mm
Temp °C
14
14
15
14
15
16
16
16
17
15
16
19
18
17
18
16
15
15
13
13
16
Feels °C
13
13
13
13
15
15
16
16
16
14
15
18
17
16
17
16
14
12
10
12
14
  • 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