Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 10 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 4,042 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 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 Saturday (Sep 12) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 15s. Another secondary swell of 1.7m and 7s 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 3.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 4s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 12th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s run it down in feet and miles per hour for the crew that thinks in imperial.
Right now it’s pretty flat and ugly. The 10th and 11th of September are a write-off. Water temps are a bit colder than normal at 14°, so you’ll want the rubber. Swell is running 6-7 feet from the WSW, but that cross-shore wind is blowing it to bits. Not worth your time.
We wait until Saturday morning the 12th for things to start cleaning up. The wind turns cross-off, and the swell holds at 6 feet out of the SW with a solid 14-second period. Energy is strong (1824). It’s still a marginal call, but it’s the first clean-ish look.
The big one comes in on Thursday morning the 17th of September. This is the standout. Swell is 7 feet from the SW, period at 12 seconds, and the wind goes light offshore from the SSE. That’s a gorgeous combo for Horse Trails. The energy is pumping hard (1801). This is a session for experienced surfers only – that’s a lot of water moving. Clean, powerful, and worth the wait.
If you miss it, Friday the 18th has another clean morning with a glassy offshore breeze from the ENE. Swell drops to 5 feet, but it’ll be smooth as glass. A great backup.
In the second week, Wednesday the 23rd of September goes glassy calm in the morning. Swell is only 4 feet out of the SW, but the wind is dead flat. Could be a sneaky fun day on a longboard. After that, the swell fades and the onshore wind kills it.
Bottom line: Thursday the 17th is the day to be in the water. The rest is a waiting game.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sun night, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the N on Sun night, fresh winds from the NW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | NW 7 | NW 8 | SW 11 | SW 19 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1207 | 919 | 680 | 407 | 1500 | 3059 | 2208 | 1550 | 1029 | 680 | 386 | 598 | 250 | 278 | 1401 | 4042 | 990 | 1179 | 730 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 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 | 5:49AM1.24m | 6:00PM1.27m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 11:48AM0.38m | 00:15AM0.41m | ||||||
 |  | |  |  | | | | |  |  | |  | | |  |  | |  | |
 | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — |
 | 6:34 | — | 6:34 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:36 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 14 |
Feels °C | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 16 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | NW 8 | SW 11 | SW 16 | WSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 |
| kJ | 1207 | 919 | 680 | 407 | 1500 | 3059 | 2208 | 1550 | 1029 | 680 | 386 | 272 | 181 | 171 | 1401 | 4042 | 990 | 1179 | 730 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 15 | — | — | S 8 | S 8 | S 7 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SW 11 | SW 19 | WSW 8 | — | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | W 13 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 107 | — | — | 163 | 72 | 66 | 45 | 15 | 3 | 250 | 278 | 179 | — | 721 | 690 | 408 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 13 | SE 13 | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | S 7 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 | 56 | — | — | — | — | 100 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 8 | S 9 | SSE 8 | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 7 | NW 8 | — | WNW 7 | WNW 7 | — | SW 9 | S 7 | SSE 7 |
| kJ | 105 | 329 | 529 | 320 | 287 | 393 | 277 | — | — | 36 | 363 | 598 | — | 206 | 336 | — | 808 | 349 | 163 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 41 | 2 | 2 | 995 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 36 | 97 | 186 | 186 | 193 | 233 | 2 | 1267 | 57 |
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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