Surf Forecasts:
Hout Bay surf forecast from 21 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 23 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 17s period, SW swell with 9,015 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hout Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Hout Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hout Bay in the next 16 days are 4.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hout Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and I'm looking at a 16-day window for our local patch. At first glance, it's a mixed bag with some serious potential, but you've got to be patient and pick your moments. The swell kicks off on the 21st of July, but the early action is a bit scruffy until we get a clean-up.
The first decent opportunity arrives on the 22nd of July. Hout Bay's breakwater is showing a solid SW groundswell, around 7 ft, with a good 12-second period. The wind is offshore out of the NW, and it's light. That means the face will be clean. The combined wave energy is a hefty 1424 (moderate to strong), so there's plenty of grunt. It's a bit of a wait for the first proper session, but this one is worth it for the experienced crew. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about normal for this time of year.
The real standout, the one you circle on the calendar, is Friday morning, the 24th of July. Get ready. The swell jumps to 12 ft from the SW, with a long 14-second period giving it heaps of push. The wind is glassy – absolutely dead – out of the east at 3 mph. The combined energy is a massive 4749 (strong to very strong). That's a full-on, powerful groundswell. This is for experienced surfers only; it's too big for beginners. The breakwater will handle it, but it will be a heavy, demanding wave. Expect crowds to be possible.
The following week throws up some more gems, but the forecast gets a little less certain. Thursday morning, the 30th of July, the swell drops to a more manageable 6 ft from the SW. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the north at 3 mph, keeping things clean. Energy is lower at 1022 (moderate), but it's a good window for a less hectic session.
Then Friday morning, the 31st of July, looks promising again. We're back to a 10 ft SW swell with a very long 17-second period. The wind is glassy. The energy is huge at 5185 (strong to very strong). Again, that's for the experts only. By Wednesday morning, the 5th of August, another big pulse arrives: 12 ft from the WSW, 14-second period, and clean offshore winds from the NNW. Combined energy is 4167 (strong to very strong). A solid end to the outlook.
There's a gap of poor conditions from the 2nd of August through the 4th. The swell drops right off, with onshore winds, so don't bother. It's a blank run, but that's pretty normal for this stretch.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Very mild (max 14°C on Tue afternoon, min 11°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the N by Thu morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat night, min 13°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, fresh winds from the SE by Mon morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Tue 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2570 | 1697 | 1381 | 1209 | 821 | 928 | 1325 | 8377 | 4749 | 3881 | 2549 | 1305 | 1602 | 1249 | 1054 | 1052 | 1246 | 822 | 1443 | 2421 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | glassy | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on |
High Tide | 8:36PM1.19m | 9:21AM1.00m | 9:43PM1.11m | 10:48AM0.97m | 11:05PM1.08m | 12:11PM1.01m | 00:19AM1.11m | 1:10PM1.09m | 1:14AM1.17m | 1:54PM1.18m | 1:57AM1.25m | 2:30PM1.27m | 2:33AM1.32m | |||||||
Low Tide | 2:08PM0.51m | 3:14AM0.51m | 3:13PM0.60m | 4:34AM0.55m | 4:46PM0.64m | 5:57AM0.53m | 6:15PM0.61m | 6:59AM0.47m | 7:15PM0.54m | 7:44AM0.39m | 7:59PM0.46m | 8:20AM0.31m | 8:36PM0.38m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:46 | — | — | 7:45 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 |
| kJ | 2570 | 1697 | 1381 | 1209 | 821 | 928 | 1325 | 8377 | 4749 | 3881 | 2549 | 1305 | 1602 | 1249 | 1054 | 1052 | 1246 | 822 | 1443 | 2421 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | SE 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 19 | — | — | SE 12 | SE 11 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | S 12 | SW 15 | SW 14 | — | SW 15 | SW 18 | — |
| kJ | 14 | 30 | 43 | 158 | 318 | 233 | 959 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 811 | 5 | 103 | 107 | 293 | — | 724 | 449 | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | — | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 13 | W 6 | WSW 13 | — | — | — | — | SE 11 | — | — | — | S 11 | — | — | SW 12 | — |
| kJ | 14 | — | 12 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 154 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 9 | — | — | 37 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 5 | SSE 3 | SSE 4 | S 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | S 8 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 12 | 56 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 17 | 29 | 24 | 5 | 20 | 139 | 166 | 223 | 1010 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Hout Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hout Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hout Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hout Bay 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 (Hout Bay) 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 Hout Bay 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near Hout Bay, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 16 km (10 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Robben Island which is 27 km (17 miles) away, Bellville, Kayamnandi and Stellenbosch.
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