Keurbooms Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let's talk Keurbooms. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is a solid 5° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a noticeable chill, so you'll want a decent wetsuit. The opening of the outlook is a bit of a slow burn; we don't get anything truly rideable until the 31st of August, and even then it's a bit of a tease.

Monday the 31st sees a 5ft SW groundswell (12-second period) rolling in, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, so it's going to be a bit bumpy with weak energy (728). It's a marginal call, so I wouldn't rush out.

Things get interesting on Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning is still a bit lumpy with a 8ft swell and cross-on wind, but the afternoon is where it's at. The wind goes glassy, the swell jumps to a solid 8ft from the SW, and that period stretches out to 13 seconds. The energy picks up to 2314 – that’s strong. This is the standout window for the experienced crew; the size is pushing into expert territory, but if you can handle it, conditions will be clean and powerful.

Wednesday the 2nd of September is packing some serious muscle with 10ft SW groundswell, but honestly, it’s just too big for this break. Both morning and afternoon have favorable offshore wind, but the sheer size is a problem for most. If you’re a big-wave charger and know the place, have at it, but for the average surfer, it’s a pass.

Thursday the 3rd sees the swell drop back to a more manageable 6ft, with a light cross-offshore wind making for clean conditions and moderate energy (1254). A good, solid mid-week option.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Thursday afternoon the 3rd all the way through to Sunday the 6th, the wind turns onshore and gets strong. We’re looking at heavy rain, lumpy, choppy conditions, and poor surf. It’s not worth paddling out for anything. There’s a massive 10ft SSW groundswell on Sunday the 6th with 17-second period (energy at 4836), but the onshore wind is just ruining it. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during this stretch.

Things clean up again on Monday the 7th, but the swell is back to 8-10ft with a short period, and the onshore wind is still a problem. It’s too big and blown out.

The real gem of the entire outlook lands on Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning has a clean 7ft swell with a nice cross-offshore from the North, and moderate energy (1014). The afternoon? Glassy as a lake. A 6ft groundswell from the East (10 seconds) with zero wind. That’s the session you want to be in the water for. It’s a classic, clean, beautiful afternoon at Keurbooms.

From there, the surf slowly fades. Wednesday the 9th has a clean 4ft swell, which is fun but small. By Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th we’re down to knee-to-waist high stuff. The afternoon of the 10th does offer a clean, glassy 5ft SW groundswell if you’re desperate.

The second week is a mixed bag of variable winds and onshore junk. There's a small, clean window on the morning of Monday the 14th with a cross-offshore breeze, and the afternoon of Tuesday the 15th shows some promise with a 5ft SSW groundswell (14-second period) and clean, light wind, but the energy is moderate (750). It’s a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but the first week is where the real action is.

To sum it up: your absolute best bets are the glassy afternoon of Tuesday the 1st of September for the experienced crew, and the glassy afternoon of Tuesday the 8th of September for the rest of us. Don't miss those.

- Rusty

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