Horse Trails Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.78° S 18.45° E

Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 02 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Horse Trails sea temperature is
13.0° C
2.4° 

Horse Trails surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Horse Trails surf forecast from 2 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, WSW swell with 4,225 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s period with SW 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Horse Trails in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) at 2AM. 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 (Aug 09) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5PM (Sun 2nd Aug)4ft (1.2m) 12s
Best Surf 8PM (Wed 5th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Most Powerful 2AM (Thu 6th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 14s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at ya from the beach. Let's get into it.

We're looking at a solid run of Southern Hemi groundswell aimed at Horse Trails, a sandbar setup that handles SW swell best. The water is running at 55°, which is a solid 4° chillier than normal for this time of year – so you're gonna want that extra thick wetsuit, no doubt about it.

The action starts Sunday, August 2nd with a clean 4ft SW swell (492 energy) and light cross-off winds in the morning, turning glassy by the afternoon. It's a nice, gentle intro to the week. Monday morning, August 3rd, gets even better with glassy conditions and a punchier 5ft SW swell, energy climbing to 805. That's your early-week standout right there – clean, fun, and not too crowded.

We get a lull Tuesday afternoon, but then things get serious. Wednesday, August 5th, sees a big jump to 6ft SW swell (1933 energy), but it's blowing 12 mph cross-shore, so it'll be a bit lumpy. Thursday and Friday, August 6th and 7th, the swell goes full-on, pushing 10ft SW with over 3000 energy. That's massive for this spot, and the forecast says it's too big for the break. This is big-wave territory, strictly for experts only, and even then, it's a handful. The wind is light but cross-shore, and the period is over 13 seconds, so there's serious power.

The weekend of August 9th gets messy with onshore wind and rain, dropping the quality. The swell drops back to 4ft to 4ft early the next week, but the wind is howling from the SE at 22 mph, making it a total chop-fest. Not worth paddling out for a traditional surf – honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing.

Then, we get a second pulse. Around Thursday, August 14th, things clean up again. The standout here is the Friday morning, August 14th: glassy conditions, a fresh 5ft swell from the WSW with a very long 16-second period, and energy at 1328. That's a proper groundswell, and it'll be lining up nicely on the sandbar. The rest of the second week offers consistent 6ft to 7ft SW/WSW swell, but with persistent cross-shore winds, so it's more about finding a wedge when the sets come through. The long period over 15 seconds means the swell will be very powerful, but at a beach break, it might break a bit straight and close out if you're not in the right spot.

So, if you're looking for the best of the best, hit Monday morning, August 3rd for clean, fun waves, then keep an eye on Friday morning, August 14th for that long-period groundswell in glassy conditions. It's a promise of some proper waves, just keep an eye on the wind.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Very mild (max 15°C on Wed morning, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

Sunday
2
Monday
3
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Thursday
6
Friday
7
Saturday
8
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
3
3
2
3
1
2
2
2
2
!
!
!
!
!
3
3
3
!
!
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.4
SW
13
1.4
SW
12
1.2
WSW
13
1.6
SW
12
1.4
SW
11
1.1
SW
11
0.7
SW
14
1.9
SW
16
2.4
SW
15
3.5
WSW
14
3
WSW
13
3
SW
13
3
SW
14
3
SW
14
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
2.5
SW
13
3.5
SW
13
3
SW
12
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
486
442
669
619
499
683
431
258
206
1787
2594
4225
3056
2752
3420
3201
2549
2094
2248
3606
2227
Wind (km/h)
10
NNE
0
W
5
ESE
5
E
10
SSW
5
NE
5
NNW
0
SSW
5
NNE
20
NNW
25
NNW
20
NNE
10
SSE
10
S
10
SE
5
ESE
10
SW
5
SSW
10
W
20
NW
25
NW
Wind State
cross-off
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross-on
off
cross
glassy
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross
High Tide
5:34PM1.52m
5:48AM1.34m
6:08PM1.47m
6:28AM1.27m
6:48PM1.41m
7:15AM1.19m
7:38PM1.32m
8:20AM1.10m
8:48PM1.23m
9:52AM1.05m
10:22PM1.20m
11:32AM1.10m
11:55PM1.25m
Low Tide
11:16AM0.16m
11:47PM0.21m
11:48AM0.21m
00:24AM0.25m
12:25PM0.29m
1:09AM0.31m
1:11PM0.39m
2:07AM0.39m
2:13PM0.48m
3:28AM0.44m
3:47PM0.55m
5:09AM0.43m
5:37PM0.51m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:37
7:37
7:35
7:35
7:33
7:33
7:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:07
6:07
6:07
6:08
6:09
6:09
6:10
 mm
3
2
3
Temp °C
20
20
19
19
23
19
19
18
18
15
15
14
13
15
14
13
15
14
13
14
14
Feels °C
17
17
17
17
22
15
17
17
17
12
11
11
11
12
11
12
14
13
12
11
8
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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