Surf Forecasts:
Horse Trails surf forecast from 15 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 16 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, WSW swell with 3,331 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 15 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 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 Saturday (Aug 15) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 6s. 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 3.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) 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 6s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 20) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Horse Trails over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here to break it down.
We got a good stretch of swell lined up for Horse Trails that’ll keep things interesting for the next couple weeks. The water’s way colder than normal, coming in near 55°F, so that’s about a 5°F drop from average – you’ll definitely feel that chill. Kicking off on Saturday the 15th, the morning is where it’s at: dead calm wind, 1.7m (so about 6ft) of WSW swell with some real energy (1100), giving you clean, shapely walls. Not huge, but clean.
Saturday afternoon goes a bit sideways with a light cross-onshore, but Sunday the 16th morning is your real highlight – swell pushing 1.9m (roughly 6ft), a 14-second groundswell, with a light cross-off breeze keeping it tidy. That is a proper session for the experienced surfer. That energy (1403) tells you it’s got punch.
Monday the 17th stays decently sized at 2.5m (about 8ft) but the wind goes cross, so it’s a bit lumpier. Through Tuesday to Thursday, the swell drops back to the 1.8m to 2.1m range (6ft to 7ft), but the wind stays messy. You can still get waves, but it's work.
Friday the 21st morning goes glassy again with 1.7m (6ft) swell and dead calm – that’s a sneaky clean, smaller day you won’t want to miss if you like it smooth.
Now hold on for Saturday the 22nd – the swell blows up to 3.5m (12ft) and then 4.5m (15ft) with 30 km/h (about 19 mph) winds. That is big, heavy, raw – a sandbar in those conditions will be a washing machine. That’s for experts, or honestly, better suited for the kite crew. That energy reading at 7213 is huge.
Sunday the 23rd stays massive and unruly. By Monday the 24th, it backs down to a still-chunky but more manageable 2.5m (8ft) with light cross-off wind – good for experienced folks again. Tuesday the 25th morning is lower at 1.8m (6ft) with clean conditions.
Late in the run, from the 27th on, it gets progressively weaker and choppier, though the 28th morning offers one last glassy moment at 2.5m (8ft) with a clean SW swell.
All said, the best bets are the mornings of Saturday the 15th, Sunday the 16th, Friday the 21st, and Monday the 24th. For my money, Sunday the 16th morning is the pick of the lot – solid size, clean wind, and that long period swell from the right direction.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1043 | 1144 | 1444 | 1403 | 2082 | 3331 | 2528 | 2026 | 1783 | 1044 | 1982 | 2221 | 1731 | 1180 | 946 | 1189 | 1341 | 939 | 708 | 564 | 437 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:05PM1.64m | 5:22AM1.43m | 5:39PM1.55m | 5:57AM1.33m | 6:13PM1.43m | 6:32AM1.21m | 6:48PM1.29m | 7:12AM1.10m | 7:29PM1.15m | 8:07AM0.99m | 8:32PM1.04m | 9:49AM0.92m | 10:25PM0.98m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:51AM0.05m | 11:22PM0.09m | 11:24AM0.14m | 11:57PM0.19m | 11:57AM0.25m | 00:31AM0.30m | 12:30PM0.38m | 1:08AM0.42m | 1:06PM0.51m | 1:55AM0.54m | 1:57PM0.63m | 3:19AM0.62m | 3:53PM0.70m | ||||||||
 | |  | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — |
 | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:17 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 |
Feels °C | 13 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 1043 | 1144 | 1444 | 1403 | 2082 | 3331 | 2528 | 2026 | 1783 | 1044 | 1982 | 2221 | 1731 | 1180 | 946 | 1189 | 1341 | 939 | 708 | 564 | 437 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 7 | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | W 16 | — | SW 12 | W 12 | — | — | — | — | S 6 | — | S 6 | — | SW 15 | SW 14 |
| kJ | 57 | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | 190 | — | 542 | 294 | — | — | — | — | 44 | — | 38 | — | 84 | 218 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SSE 5 | S 5 | S 6 | SSE 5 | S 6 | SSE 6 | — | — | NNW 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 39 | 48 | 73 | 89 | 66 | 80 | 48 | — | — | 6 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 15 | 401 | 1 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 |
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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