Jongensfontein Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s get a look at what’s happening. Overall, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag on our hands. The window kicks off Friday, 11 September, with a bit of promise, but then things get messy for a stretch before we see some real quality again. There are a few true standouts if you time it right.

First call is Jongensfontein on Friday morning, 11 September. The swell is a clean 4ft from the SW with a solid 12-second period – that’s groundswell with some real push behind it. The combined energy is moderate at 864, but the magic is in the wind. It’s glassy, mate. Dead calm. When you get a reef break like this, with a S direction being its optimum, and the wind is off the SSE at just 3 mph, it’ll be as clean as a whistle. Perfect for an intermediate. The water temp anomaly is about average for the time of year, nothing wild.

But don’t get too comfortable. Later Friday afternoon the wind swings onshore, and it’s game over for quality.

Saturday, 12 September, the swell jumps to 5ft and then 7ft with a 15-second and 17-second period, which is very long period groundswell. The energy rockets up to 1312 then 2856. But the wind is howling onshore from the ESE at 12-22 mph. This will be a mess, and at that size and period, it’s expert territory anyway, but with the chop, even they’ll struggle.

Sunday, 13 September, is a blowout. 12ft of sloppy ESE windswell with 25 mph cross-onshore winds. That’s massive (3701 combined energy), but it’s a write-off for paddling. With that setup and those conditions, this is more a kiteboarding session than a surf session.

The week cools off. Monday and Tuesday have size, 8ft and 5ft, but the wind is never right for long, and the swell periods drop. There’s a flicker on Tuesday morning, 15 September, with a 5ft wave from the E, 11-second period, and a light cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is moderate (701), and the report says “expect very good surf conditions.” It’s worth a paddle but only if you’re keen for a trade-off because the afternoon goes onshore again.

A long gap with poor quality follows, from 16 September right through until the 18th. The wind is constantly onshore or cross-onshore, and the surf is lumpy or messy. It’s a flat spell for quality.

Now, for the real standout. You want to mark your calendar for Saturday morning, 19 September. This is the one. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the SW with a 14-second period, giving a combined energy of 1497. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the WSW at just 6 mph. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” It’s clean, it’s got energy, and for a reef, that long period SW groundswell will wrap in beautifully. It’s going to be a gem.

Sunday morning, 20 September, is also promising, but it’s a bigger step up. 8ft from the SSW with a 16-second period (2680 combined energy). That’s a lot of power and likely too big for anyone but experts. The wind is light cross-offshore again (WSW, 9 mph), so it’ll be clean, but you need to know what you’re doing. It’s a standout for the big-wave crew.

After that, the pattern turns messy again for the final few days of the forecast window, with onshore winds and dropping quality right through to 26 September.

So, to wrap it up: your best bet is Saturday morning, 19 September, for a clean, high-quality session at Jongensfontein. Sunday 20 September is a big-wave second option for experienced surfers only. Don’t bother with the rest until those mornings.

Rusty.

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