
Surf Forecasts:
Long Beach surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 21 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 5,602 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Long Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Long Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.5m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Long Beach in the next 16 days are 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 21st Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Long Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Long Beach. Let’s get into it.
We’ve got a real mixed bag coming our way. The surf looks solid for a few days, but then it gets messy and big. The standout period is the first couple of days for clean, powerful swell, but after that, hold onto your hats – it’s gonna get wild and blown out.
Wednesday afternoon (July 15th) is already cooking. Long Beach has a solid 10ft of southwest groundswell rolling in with a long 16-second period. That’s proper energy (4295), the kind that makes you want to drop everything. The wind is a light cross-offshore, so the lines should be clean for experienced surfers. This is serious size though – over 8ft – so only experts are going to have fun out there.
Thursday morning (July 16th) is the real gem. The swell drops slightly to 8ft from the same SW direction, but the wind goes absolutely glassy – zero knots. That’s the best you’ll see. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing unusual there. This is the session to aim for; it’s big, powerful, and clean.
Thursday afternoon stays clean with 8ft and light winds, and Friday (July 17th) is still good as the swell drops to 6ft, then 6ft in the afternoon with glassy conditions. That’s a really nice run of surf for intermediate surfers too.
Saturday (July 18th) the wheels fall off. Nasty cross-onshore winds from the NNW kick up a choppy mess, even though there’s still swell. Don’t bother paddling out – unless you’ve got a kite, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.
We get a brief reprieve on Sunday morning (July 19th) with clean 6ft waves and light cross-offshore winds, and Sunday afternoon even goes offshore with 4ft. That’s a nice little session.
Then we hit a dead zone. Monday (July 20th) is blown out and small. Tuesday (July 21st) is a washout with gale-force onshore winds and a messy, jumbled 12ft swell. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday (July 22nd-24th) see the swell pumping huge – 16ft to 20ft – but it’s all cross-onshore and blown to bits. That’s big, messy, and dangerous; expert-only stuff at best, and not recommended.
Friday afternoon (July 24th) is interesting. The swell is still 10ft, but the wind swings offshore from the south. That will clean it up significantly, making for excellent, powerful waves for experts again. That’s a quality window if you can wait it out.
The following week (July 25th to 30th) stays consistent with moderate to large SW swell (7ft to 12ft), but the wind is unreliable. There are a few windows of clean conditions, like Tuesday afternoon (July 28th) with 10ft and cross-offshore wind, and some days in late July with clean cross-offshore winds. It’s promising, but less certain. Keep an eye on those afternoons. This spot is fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay poor for long.
Overall, the best on offer is Thursday morning (July 16th) – glassy conditions and a powerful 8ft SW groundswell. Second best is the first couple of days for clean, solid surf. After that, it’s a waiting game for the wind to play nice again.
Stay stoked.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 16°C on Fri morning, min 14°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat night, min 13°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, strong winds from the NNW by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wed 22 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3844 | 2494 | 1645 | 1398 | 835 | 576 | 369 | 557 | 1112 | 960 | 792 | 483 | 437 | 415 | 401 | 2053 | 5512 | 5602 | 3997 | 3219 | 2839 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | glassy | off | off | cross-on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:28AM1.54m | 4:55PM1.62m | 5:11AM1.48m | 5:37PM1.59m | 5:54AM1.39m | 6:19PM1.52m | 6:37AM1.28m | 7:00PM1.42m | 7:22AM1.17m | 7:44PM1.31m | 8:13AM1.07m | 8:36PM1.19m | 9:20AM1.00m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:25PM0.08m | 10:40AM0.02m | 11:11PM0.10m | 11:20AM0.07m | 11:55PM0.16m | 12:00PM0.16m | 00:39AM0.24m | 12:39PM0.27m | 1:24AM0.34m | 1:20PM0.39m | 2:13AM0.43m | 2:08PM0.51m | 3:14AM0.51m | 3:12PM0.60m | |||||||
— | 7:50 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:47 | — | |
5:54 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 3 | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 |
Feels °C | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 |
3844 | 2494 | 1645 | 1398 | 835 | 576 | 369 | 557 | 1112 | 960 | 792 | 483 | 437 | 415 | 401 | 2053 | 5512 | 5602 | 3997 | 3219 | 2839 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 11 | S 14 | S 12 | SW 14 | W 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | SSW 14 | WSW 13 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SE 11 |
— | — | — | — | 3 | 15 | 77 | 228 | 98 | 191 | 143 | 200 | 156 | 92 | 210 | 67 | 20 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 4 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | E 11 | SW 16 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | W 10 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 39 | 123 | 88 | 85 | 75 | 94 | 92 | 68 | 89 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 3 | — | WNW 2 | WNW 9 | W 9 | NW 6 | NW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 90 | 14 | 107 | 106 | 337 | 204 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 32 | 331 | 349 | 200 | 32 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Long Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Long Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Long Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Long Beach 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 (Long Beach) 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 Long Beach 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 Long Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 26 km (16 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 37 km (23 miles) away, Bellville, Stellenbosch and Kayamnandi.











