Jongensfontein Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. This stretch is coming off a bit slow, but there’s some fire in the back half of it. We’re not looking at much for the first week, but if you’re patient, the second week has some serious potential.

Kicking off on Saturday, the 15th of August, it’s pretty flat and ugly. Winds are onshore and the swell is small and weak, combined energy of all swells directed here is just 384. Not worth paddling out for.

Sunday the 16th shows a glimmer. Morning session at Jongensfontein, a reef break that’s consistent and exposed, has clean conditions with a light WSW cross-off breeze and a 3ft swell from WSW, period at 14 seconds. It’s only a 3ft wave but that groundswell has some shape. Combined energy is up to 461. The water’s sitting at 61° which is about average for the time of year, no drama there. Not a standout, but a decent way to wet the line.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th the swell builds, but the wind plays games. Monday morning has a 6ft WSW swell at 13 seconds, but it’s cross-shore and a bit lumpy – combined energy of all swells directed here is 1045. Tuesday morning, the 18th, is the first real highlight. Clean, light cross-off wind from the SW, swell at 6ft from SW, period 12 seconds. Combined energy of all swells directed here is 1172 – that’s moderate to strong energy, and for experienced surfers, this is a winner. The 6ft is pushing a bit big for beginners, but for the regulars, it’s a good roll. The crowd here can be “sometimes” heavy, so expect company.

Then on Tuesday afternoon the wind swings onshore from the ESE and it gets chopped out. Bummer. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are messy too, with cross-onshore breezes. Swell holds around 7ft to 8ft from the SW, but the quality is marginal. Combined energy is strong, over 1165, but without clean wind it’s just messy.

Friday the 21st stays average with onshores and a 7ft swell. Nothing to write home about.

Now, the real standout comes on Monday the 24th – but this is a warning more than a recommendation for most. The morning brings a massive 10ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 16 seconds. Combined energy of all swells directed here is a massive 4064 – that’s very strong wave energy. The wind is light and cross-onshore, but the forecast says the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is only for absolute experts, and even then, it’s iffy. A 10ft, 16-second groundswell will break straight and heavy on a reef setup like Jongensfontein. Not for the faint-hearted.

Tuesday the 25th drops back to 6ft but stays onshore and choppy. Wednesday the 26th is a weird one – early morning you’ve got a 8ft SW swell at 17 seconds, the longest period of the whole run, combined energy of all swells directed here is 2965. Wind is from the WSW at 22 mph, cross-off but strong, making it clean but a battle to handle. The afternoon gets lumpy with fresh cross-shore wind. Still, for the brave, this could be something special.

The final stretch into the 30th is a slow fade. Thursday the 27th is clean but small, 5ft, and by Saturday the 29th you get a clean 6ft swell from the SW with light offshore wind – combined energy of all swells directed here is 812, solid for a smaller day. It’s good, just not huge. Sunday the 30th is clean but dropping.

So here’s the rundown: if you want the best of it, target Tuesday morning the 18th for solid, clean 6ft SW swell with light wind. It’s the best balance of size and quality. For the big-wave hunters, Monday the 24th morning is available but only if you’ve got serious experience. The rest of the week is a bit of a lottery.

Stay stoked, and don’t force it when it’s ugly.

- Rusty

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