Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 5 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,275 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 30 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 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 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 6s. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 06) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 30th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break it down.
Those first few days at Horse Trails are underwhelming. Swell shows up, but the conditions aren't cooperating. Thursday the 30th kicks off with some 5ft SW groundswell, decent energy (802), and clean morning wind, but it’s just not firing right – probably a tide issue. The afternoon goes sideways with a cross-on wind. Friday and Saturday are smaller, mornings clean but nothing special.
Then Sunday the 2nd of August delivers. Flat calm, glassy water, and 4ft of clean SW swell. That’s your morning for a longboard or funboard. Just a mellow, clean session. Crowds can pop up now and then, so get in early.
Monday the 3rd is the real gem. Still a solid 5ft SW swell, but the wind is dead calm – completely glassy. The combined energy is strong (700). That’s your best session of the first week, no question.
Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th have glassy starts, but Wednesday goes wild. Swell jumps to 8ft with a 16-second period – that’s a heavy groundswell. The energy is massive (3337). That’s expert-only. The afternoon hits 12ft, but it’s too much for this break, and the wind turns cross-shore – more of a beatdown than a ride.
From the 6th through the 10th, it’s huge. Swells over 10ft, sometimes over 20ft. Energy numbers are insane (over 5000, then over 16000 on August 9th). Too big for paddle surfing here – that’s kite territory.
Things chill out nicely from the 11th. Tuesday the 11th has a clean 6ft S swell with light offshore winds – great for experienced surfers. The mornings of the 12th and 13th stay clean, with chest-to-head high waves and glassy or cross-off winds. The 13th afternoon is totally glassy with 5ft WSW swell and a 14-second period – long, clean lines. That’s a standout of the second week.
The 14th morning brings a big 10ft swell again, but the wind is clean. That’s for the bold ones only.
So my top call is Monday the 3rd of August – that glassy 5ft SW swell with clean conditions and solid energy. Second best is Tuesday the 11th and Thursday the 13th afternoon for that glassy, long-period glass.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 796 | 669 | 545 | 416 | 355 | 215 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 479 | 435 | 581 | 808 | 669 | 769 | 534 | 382 | 492 | 4235 | 3978 | 3582 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | glassy | off | off | on | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | 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 | 9:50AM0.13m | 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 | |||||||
 | |  |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:39 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — |
 | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 10 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 |
| kJ | 796 | 669 | 545 | 416 | 355 | 213 | 581 | 494 | 486 | 479 | 435 | 581 | 808 | 669 | 769 | 534 | 382 | 315 | 4235 | 3978 | 3582 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 6 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | W 19 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | SE 10 | SE 11 | SE 12 | S 9 | SW 16 | WSW 16 | SW 13 | SW 12 | — | SW 17 | SSW 10 | SW 15 | — | S 9 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 6 | 5 | 8 | 7 | 60 | 215 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 64 | 25 | 170 | 244 | — | 12 | 40 | 492 | — | 2 | 1417 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 18 | WSW 18 | SE 5 | — | — | — | — | S 9 | S 8 | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | W 11 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 13 | 60 | 7 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 57 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | 97 | 233 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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