Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 10 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 3,577 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 13s 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 Monday (Sep 07) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m 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 2.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Sep 10) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.2m 5s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk Horse Trails.
The outlook for the next couple of weeks is a tale of two halves. Some solid swell is on the cards, but the wind is going to be the decider, and for a lot of this window, it's not going to be your friend. The water temp is around 53°, which is nearly 7° colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want the thickest rubber you've got and some booties.
The first few days, Monday through Wednesday (September 7 to 9), are nothing special. You've got waist to chest-high swell from the SW, but the wind is all over the shop, mostly cross-onshore. The energy is moderate, but the conditions are just messy.
The real call is for Thursday, September 10. The morning is looking primo. We've got a head-high-plus swell at 2.5m from the SW, and the period is a long 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell. The energy is strong (3577), and the wind is clean from the SE, blowing cross-off. This is the best slot of the whole outlook. It's on the bigger side, so it's more for experienced surfers, but it should be quality. The afternoon gets lumpy as the wind picks up, so the early session is the one.
After that, it gets windy. Friday and Saturday (September 11 and 12) have some size, but the strong SSE breeze creates a lumpy, choppy surface. It's surfable if you're keen, but it won't be pretty. Sunday (September 13) is a weird one: the wind swings to a strong N, blowing cross-off, keeping the 2m SW swell reasonably clean. It's a gamble with that much wind.
The second week is a write-off for quality surf. From Monday (September 14), it's all strong winds, rain, and messy seas. September 15 throws up a massive 4m, 15-second swell, but it's paired with 40 km/h NNW winds. That's a full-on kite-surfing situation, not a paddle-surfing one. The rest of the week through to the 18th is a battle with the elements. Things settle down a bit by September 22, with a clean 1m swell and light ESE winds, but that's a long way off.
So, if you're looking for the one, it's Thursday, September 10, morning. Everything else is a windy challenge.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1493 | 1155 | 454 | 294 | 140 | 151 | 342 | 295 | 680 | 3577 | 2480 | 1647 | 1032 | 746 | 518 | 792 | 1856 | 2416 | 1680 | 1401 | 821 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 12:46PM1.27m | 1:05AM1.32m | 1:34PM1.43m | 1:53AM1.44m | 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 | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:02PM0.34m | 7:23AM0.22m | 7:50PM0.20m | 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 | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | | |  | |  |  | | | | |  | |  |  | |
 | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — |
 | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:36 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 |
Temp °C | 23 | 25 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
Feels °C | 22 | 23 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 13 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 1493 | 1155 | 454 | 294 | 117 | 151 | 342 | 295 | 680 | 3577 | 2480 | 1647 | 1032 | 746 | 518 | 792 | 1856 | 2416 | 1680 | 1401 | 821 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | W 11 | W 11 | SW 20 | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | S 9 | S 7 | S 7 | — | — | NW 5 | NNW 6 |
| kJ | — | — | 303 | 156 | 140 | 140 | 21 | 9 | 186 | — | — | — | — | 40 | 41 | 100 | 73 | — | — | 36 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SW 18 | WSW 16 | S 10 | S 9 | SSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | 13 | 26 | 49 | 27 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18 | 68 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 3 | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | — | SSE 6 | — | NNW 5 | — | SSW 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | 18 | 21 | — | 28 | 427 | 457 | 645 | 215 | — | 85 | — | 56 | — | 435 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 12 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 52 | 93 | 2 | 401 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 282 | 89 | 36 |
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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