Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with 7,616 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 14s 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 (Sep 09) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 11s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s is also forecast. 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 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 9th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s run through the next couple of weeks. Horse Trails is the only break we’ve got to look at. It’s a sandbar, fairly consistent, and picks up SW swell.
The start is a rough one. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are a mess with cross-shore winds and choppy surf. The swell is building, but it’s just not clean. There’s a real gap here with nothing worth paddling for until the weekend.
Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th stay average. The swell is between 5ft and 8ft from the SW, with a good period of 12 to 17 seconds, so there’s plenty of energy (1,017 to 3,847 combined energy). But the wind is cross-shore, making it lumpy. If you’re into kite surfing, it might be interesting, but for paddling, it’s a no-go.
Then Sunday the 13th morning. That’s the one. Glassy conditions, a light NW breeze, and a solid 6ft of SW groundswell at 14 seconds. The energy is a strong 1,456 (moderate to strong). That’s clean, lined-up surf for experienced surfers. Water temp is about average for the time of year. You might see a crowd, so get in early.
The middle of the week gets blown out again. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th are a write-off with strong winds. Wednesday the 16th sees a massive 13ft of SW swell with a 15-second period, but the wind is howling cross-shore at 35 km/h. It’s too big and too messy. The combined energy is 6,742 (strong). Skip it.
Next window is Thursday the 17th morning. Light offshore breeze from the ESE, clean, and a consistent 6ft of SW swell at 13 seconds. The energy is 1,612 (moderate to strong). That’s a quality session. Friday the 18th morning is also a gem – glassy, 7ft of SW groundswell at 14 seconds, with a combined energy of 3,091 (strong). That’s proper. Expect crowds.
The weekend after that, Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, the swell hangs around 8ft to 11ft, but the wind turns cross-onshore and the chop comes back. Not worth it. Monday the 21st and Tuesday the 22nd morning offer a clean, offshore window with 7ft to 13ft of SW swell. The energy is huge (5,838 to 8,216), but the swell is too big for a paddle on Monday. Tuesday morning, with 7ft and a light offshore, is the best of that last stretch.
The final days, Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th, drop off. The period shortens to 8 seconds, and the swell fades. Thursday the 24th morning is glassy but only 4ft of weak energy (538). A quiet end.
So, the real standouts are Sunday the 13th morning and Friday the 18th morning. Get in the water then.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 11mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 20°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the N by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | S 8 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | NW 7 | NW 8 | SW 21 | SW 18 | WSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 304 | 295 | 607 | 2215 | 1672 | 1321 | 830 | 605 | 337 | 1325 | 3515 | 2010 | 1429 | 1014 | 600 | 380 | 305 | 345 | 1031 | 2690 | 7474 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 2:15PM1.57m | 2:33AM1.51m | 2:51PM1.66m | 3:10AM1.55m | 3:25PM1.70m | 3:44AM1.55m | 3:58PM1.68m | 4:17AM1.52m | 4:29PM1.62m | 4:48AM1.45m | 4:59PM1.52m | 5:18AM1.35m | 5:29PM1.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:04AM0.12m | 8:31PM0.08m | 8:41AM0.05m | 9:08PM0.01m | 9:15AM0.02m | 9:42PM-0.01m | 9:48AM0.03m | 10:15PM0.01m | 10:19AM0.08m | 10:45PM0.07m | 10:49AM0.16m | 11:15PM0.17m | 11:18AM0.26m | 11:44PM0.28m | |||||||
 | |  |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | |
 | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — |
 | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 6 | — | 3 | — | — | 13 |
Temp °C | 21 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 20 | 21 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 15 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 21 | SW 18 | WSW 16 |
| kJ | 304 | 295 | 607 | 2215 | 1672 | 1321 | 830 | 605 | 307 | 1325 | 3515 | 2010 | 1429 | 1014 | 600 | 380 | 272 | 268 | 1031 | 2690 | 7474 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | W 11 | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SW 20 | — | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | SSE 7 | — | SW 11 | SW 10 | — |
| kJ | 14 | 9 | 238 | — | — | — | — | — | 164 | 309 | — | 364 | 113 | 71 | 57 | 27 | 5 | — | 202 | 132 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | — | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 10 | SSW 20 | — | — | — | — | NW 5 | S 12 | — | W 20 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 21 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 28 | 261 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 3 | — | 8 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 5 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | — | NNW 4 | — | NNW 6 | NW 7 | NW 8 | WNW 7 | WNW 8 | — |
| kJ | 4 | 26 | 10 | — | 13 | 53 | 294 | 352 | 337 | 393 | 549 | 445 | — | 18 | — | 87 | 305 | 345 | 435 | 600 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 416 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 38 | 89 | 38 | 193 | 233 | 41 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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