Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 10 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 3,054 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 10 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period with SSW 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 10) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Fri 10th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk Horse Trails. The water's a bit colder than normal for this time of year at 58.1°F, so don't forget a hoody if you're fussy.
The next 16 days have a bit of a slow start, then some real gems. Friday the 10th is just average – 8.2ft SSW swell with strong energy (2402), but the cross-off wind is alright, nothing special. Saturday the 11th morning brings a 6.9ft SSW swell (1433 energy) with light cross-off wind and cleaner surf – a step up, but still not the best. Then it fades through Sunday and Monday with smaller 4.9ft to 3ft stuff.
Now, the standouts. Mark your calendar for Thursday morning the 16th of July. That's a 8.2ft SW groundswell with a 13-second period, glassy conditions, and strong energy (2275). It's going to be clean and punchy, but that's expert territory – too big for beginners.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 10 | Saturday 11 | Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2386 | 1989 | 1548 | 1310 | 814 | 814 | 494 | 392 | 260 | 169 | 120 | 135 | 158 | 153 | 108 | 261 | 1376 | 3054 | 2275 | 1671 | 1169 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 11:40AM1.15m | 11:57PM1.34m | 12:49PM1.25m | 1:03AM1.41m | 1:48PM1.36m | 2:02AM1.49m | 2:40PM1.47m | 2:54AM1.55m | 3:27PM1.56m | 3:42AM1.56m | 4:12PM1.61m | 4:28AM1.54m | 4:55PM1.63m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:37PM0.45m | 6:34AM0.26m | 6:51PM0.37m | 7:34AM0.17m | 7:53PM0.26m | 8:26AM0.08m | 8:48PM0.17m | 9:14AM0.02m | 9:38PM0.10m | 9:58AM-0.00m | 10:25PM0.08m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:11PM0.09m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:50 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 10 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 2386 | 1989 | 1548 | 1310 | 814 | 814 | 494 | 392 | 260 | 169 | 120 | 135 | 158 | 153 | 102 | 99 | 1376 | 3054 | 2275 | 1671 | 1169 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 14 | W 13 | W 12 | W 11 | SW 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | SSW 9 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 16 | SW 11 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 16 | 52 | 136 | 116 | 244 | 163 | 146 | 110 | 69 | 66 | 40 | 90 | 59 | 54 | 52 | 261 | 134 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | W 19 | W 12 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 18 | W 11 | W 9 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 7 | 166 | 12 | 25 | 37 | 33 | 33 | 45 | 61 | 23 | 82 | 108 | 58 | 74 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 5 | — | SSE 7 | — | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 74 | — | 166 | — | 136 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 6 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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