Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, WSW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, WSW swell with 7,241 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 9 Sep, 11PM (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 Wednesday (Sep 09) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 4s. 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 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 9th Sep) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Tue 15th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. It’s Rusty here, looking at the next stretch for Horse Trails. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up over the next couple of weeks, so let’s not waste any time.
The first few days are pretty forgettable. We’ve got waves on offer, but the winds are all over the place and it’s mostly cross-shore junk. Things pick up in energy but the quality just isn’t there. Water temp is sitting at 57°F which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want the thick rubber.
The real standout in this whole run looks like Wednesday, September 24th, in the morning. The forecast shows a 4ft SW groundswell at 16 seconds, and with the wind completely dropping to glassy calm, this is going to be your cleanest window. Expect very good surf conditions. It’s a sandbar set-up, fairly consistent, and exposed to the SW. It’s not huge, but it'll be clean and lined up. Crowds are a possibility on a morning like this, so get in early. The energy for this one is moderate (837).
Before that, the weekend of the 21st and 22nd has some clean-ish conditions with cross-off winds, but the swell is a bit smaller and less organized. Fairly consistent, but it might be a bit average due to the tide. There’s also a huge pulse of swell predicted for Wednesday, September 16th, with 13ft surf and very strong wave energy (6415). But that’s way too big for this break and will just be a messy, dangerous mess. Leave that one well alone.
Also, don't get too excited about the 19th-20th. There’s some solid swell around 7-8ft, but onshore winds and lumpy conditions will ruin it. The setup looks like it could be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.
So, in short, if you want waves, mark your calendar for the morning of the 24th. It’s the one real gem in the period. The rest is either average or just plain poor.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 23°C on Sun morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | NW 8 | SW 20 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 304 | 295 | 607 | 2215 | 1672 | 1321 | 830 | 680 | 307 | 1521 | 3088 | 2010 | 1363 | 1102 | 663 | 430 | 349 | 291 | 388 | 1399 | 2563 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on |
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 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | — | 1 | — | — | 16 |
Temp °C | 21 | 22 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 17 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 20 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 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 14 | SW 17 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 18 | WSW 9 |
| kJ | 304 | 295 | 607 | 2215 | 1672 | 1321 | 830 | 680 | 307 | 1521 | 3088 | 2010 | 1363 | 1102 | 663 | 430 | 349 | 263 | 245 | 1399 | 1662 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 9 | W 11 | SW 17 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | SW 20 | — | S 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | S 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SW 20 | SW 12 | WSW 16 |
| kJ | 14 | 9 | 238 | — | — | — | — | — | 203 | 100 | — | 245 | 67 | 51 | 50 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 388 | 224 | 2563 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | — | S 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 11 | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 21 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | 6 | 13 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | S 4 | S 6 | S 7 | S 8 | S 8 | S 8 | S 9 | — | — | — | NNW 5 | NW 4 | NNW 6 | NW 8 | NW 6 | NW 7 | — |
| kJ | 5 | 27 | 16 | — | 13 | 105 | 339 | 403 | 292 | 562 | 617 | — | — | — | 15 | 21 | 93 | 291 | 163 | 476 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 41 | 2 | 2 | 41 | 93 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 38 | 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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