Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 5,632 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 12s. 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 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, we’ve got a quiet start. The surf on offer is pretty marginal for the first few days, so don’t rush to get out just yet. The real action starts to build towards the end of the month.
We’re looking at Horse Trails as the main spot. The first real standout is shaping up for Sunday the 30th, the morning session. It’s glassy, clean, and the swell is pushing 7ft from the WSW with a solid 13-second period. The combined energy is strong (1617), so you’ll feel the power. This is a big, solid groundswell. It’s a bit on the bigger side, so it’s only for experienced surfers, but the conditions are spot on. The water temperature is sitting at 57°, which is a couple of degrees colder than average for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent spring suit.
Now, the real standout for the whole run is shaping up for Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning and afternoon both have big, powerful SW groundswells hitting 10ft and 12ft, with the combined energy going through the roof (2744 and 3883). The period is a solid 13 seconds. Honestly, this is going to be huge and is only for the experts. The winds are cross-shore and moderate, so it’s going to be a bit messy, but the raw power is there. If you’re a seasoned charger, this is the one to wait for.
Wednesday the 2nd of September is also looking big, with 10ft WSW swell and a lighter cross-onshore wind, but that combined energy is still massive (3247). Again, this is only for the experienced crew.
After that, the swell drops off and the wind gets nasty. Thursday the 3rd of September has a near gale from the SSE, making it a write-off. There’s a small window on Friday the 4th of September morning with a clean, 8ft S swell, but the crowds are likely to be there.
The second week fades out pretty quickly. From the 5th onwards, the swell drops and the wind turns onshore, making things pretty ordinary. The last few days of the run are small and weak, with combined energy dropping below 300. Not much to get excited about there.
So, the headline is clear: Sunday the 30th for the clean, glassy conditions, and Tuesday the 1st for the big, powerful groundswell if you have the experience. Get out there and get some.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | ||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 458 | 383 | 480 | 455 | 363 | 280 | 519 | 454 | 724 | 756 | 905 | 1606 | 1562 | 1237 | 868 | 713 | 913 | 2744 | 3883 | 4752 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | glassy | on | on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:36PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | 3:04PM1.52m | 3:14AM1.47m | 3:32PM1.59m | 3:44AM1.50m | 4:01PM1.63m | 4:16AM1.50m | 4:31PM1.63m | 4:48AM1.47m | 5:03PM1.59m | 5:23AM1.41m | 5:38PM1.52m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:46PM0.24m | 8:54AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.16m | 9:21AM0.09m | 9:44PM0.10m | 9:49AM0.07m | 10:14PM0.07m | 10:18AM0.07m | 10:45PM0.07m | 10:48AM0.11m | 11:18PM0.11m | 11:22AM0.18m | 11:55PM0.19m | |||||||
 |  | |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — |
 | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:27 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
Feels °C | 22 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 458 | 383 | 480 | 455 | 363 | 231 | 519 | 454 | 724 | 756 | 905 | 1606 | 1562 | 1237 | 868 | 713 | 913 | 2744 | 3883 | 4752 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SW 10 | WSW 8 | SSE 11 | S 10 | — | S 6 | — | WSW 11 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 289 | 274 | 256 | 186 | 138 | 133 | 171 | 71 | 78 | 216 | 322 | 11 | 2 | — | 19 | — | 130 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 16 | SSE 13 | S 13 | — | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 357 | 191 | 13 | 26 | 126 | 280 | 57 | 51 | — | 39 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 3 | SW 4 | SW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 3 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 193 | 282 | 6 |
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