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Hout Bay Surf Forecast
/ Cape Town (70 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Hout Bay surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Sunday 17 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Hout Bay surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Hout Bay sea temperature is
16.2° C
(Which is 1.0°C colder than average for this time of year)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 (May 20) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.1m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 12s is also forecast. 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 3.0m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 19) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (May 21) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Wed 20th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Wed 20th May) | 7ft (2.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Tue 19th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hout Bay over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Mon night, calm by Wed afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed night, min 15°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 18 | Tuesday 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sun 24 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 16 | SW 15 | |
837 | 1042 | 915 | 763 | 890 | 988 | 1185 | 655 | 151 | 68 | 166 | 144 | 314 | 375 | 492 | 833 | 809 | 561 | 1034 | 521 | 1046 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | on | on | on | on | on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-off | |
High Tide | 3:55AM1.62m | 4:28PM1.51m | 4:43AM1.54m | 5:17PM1.46m | 5:34AM1.42m | 6:11PM1.39m | 6:31AM1.29m | 7:12PM1.32m | 7:38AM1.17m | 8:23PM1.27m | 8:57AM1.09m | 9:38PM1.25m | 10:19AM1.07m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:45PM0.10m | 10:15AM-0.00m | 10:33PM0.14m | 11:02AM0.08m | 11:26PM0.22m | 11:52AM0.18m | 00:24AM0.31m | 12:48PM0.29m | 1:33AM0.40m | 1:52PM0.39m | 2:54AM0.45m | 3:06PM0.46m | 4:17AM0.45m | 4:22PM0.48m | |||||||
 |  |  |  | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — |
 | 5:52 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 |
12 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SSE 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | WSW 12 | SW 15 |
 kJ | 837 | 1042 | 915 | 649 | 528 | 528 | 551 | 203 | 151 | 49 | 52 | 144 | 123 | 375 | 492 | 833 | 809 | 561 | 1034 | 521 | 1046 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 12 | S 16 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SSE 8 | SW 13 | S 6 | SW 18 | WSW 10 | WSW 11 | SSW 5 | SE 9 | SW 15 | SW 18 | SW 16 | W 10 |
| kJ | 57 | 55 | 32 | 11 | 5 | 414 | 233 | 180 | 121 | 44 | 166 | 19 | 314 | 138 | 99 | 7 | 3 | 301 | 84 | 496 | 50 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 10 | — | — | — | SSE 14 | S 20 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 20 | S 6 | S 5 | S 5 | S 9 | S 13 | SE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 59 | 17 | — | — | — | 20 | 8 | 70 | 70 | 68 | 12 | 136 | 39 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | — | NNW 2 | NW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 121 | 135 | 346 | 763 | 890 | 988 | 1185 | 655 | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Hout Bay 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 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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