Long Beach surf break

Long Beach surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 am Sunday 17 May 2026 SAST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Long Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Long Beach sea temperature is
16.7° C
(Which is slightly cooler than normal)

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 Thursday (May 21) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 14s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Long Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 20) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Monday (May 18) at 8AM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Thu 21st May)4.5ft (1.4m) 8s
Best Surf 8AM (Sat 23rd May)5.5ft (1.7m) 13s
Most Powerful 2AM (Wed 20th May)11ft (3.5m) 9s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Long Beach over the next 16 days.


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the SE on Sun morning, near gales from the SE by Mon night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Wed afternoon, min 16°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Wed morning, calm by Fri morning).

Sunday
17
Monday
18
Tuesday
19
Wednesday
20
Thursday
21
Friday
22
Saturday
23
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
3
3
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
WSW
13
1.6
WSW
14
1.7
WSW
13
1.7
WSW
14
1.7
WSW
13
3
SSE
8
3
SE
8
3
SE
8
3.5
SE
9
3
SE
8
3
SE
8
1.6
SE
8
1.6
SE
9
0.7
SW
12
0.7
SW
18
0.9
SW
16
1
SW
16
1.2
SW
14
1.8
SW
13
1.6
SW
12
1.9
SW
14
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
578
876
950
1244
975
1258
1318
1124
1884
1194
1032
306
393
144
314
443
486
598
1034
747
1407
Wind (km/h)
25
SE
30
SE
35
SE
40
SE
50
SE
55
SE
50
SE
40
SE
40
SE
30
ESE
25
SE
15
SE
10
N
5
SW
5
S
10
SW
15
SW
10
W
10
SSW
10
S
20
SE
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
on
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
off
cross-off
High Tide
3:42PM1.54m
3:55AM1.62m
4:28PM1.51m
4:43AM1.54m
5:17PM1.46m
5:34AM1.43m
6:11PM1.39m
6:31AM1.29m
7:12PM1.32m
7:38AM1.17m
8:23PM1.26m
8:57AM1.09m
9:38PM1.25m
Low Tide
9:30AM-0.04m
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
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:33
7:33
7:33
7:35
7:35
7:35
7:37
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:52
5:51
5:51
5:50
5:50
5:49
5:47
Temp °C
16
17
16
17
18
17
17
18
17
18
19
17
17
18
18
18
17
17
16
16
16
13
13
11
11
11
9
9
12
10
15
17
14
18
19
19
18
17
17
16
15
14
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.3
WSW
13
1.6
WSW
14
1.7
WSW
13
1.7
WSW
14
1.7
WSW
13
1.5
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
13
1.3
WSW
13
1
WSW
12
0.8
WSW
12
0.7
WSW
12
0.6
SW
14
1.1
SSE
8
0.9
SSE
8
0.7
SW
18
0.9
SW
16
0.9
WSW
12
1.2
SW
14
1.8
SW
13
1.6
SW
12
1.9
SW
14
Energy kJ
578
876
950
1244
975
745
528
512
309
180
119
118
138
91
314
443
235
598
1034
747
1407
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
S
11
0.9
S
11
0.4
SSE
14
0.1
SE
17
0.1
S
20
0.2
SSW
16
0.4
SW
15
0.5
WSW
11
0.7
SW
13
0.7
SW
12
0.8
SW
11
0.8
SW
11
1
SW
16
0.9
WSW
10
0.5
SW
17
1.1
SW
15
0.2
SSE
12
Energy kJ
235
184
62
11
8
25
57
68
161
144
147
155
486
157
140
492
14
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.5
WSW
15
0.5
S
13
0.4
S
14
0.4
S
10
0.4
SE
12
0.4
WSW
11
0.5
WSW
11
0.4
WSW
10
0.5
WSW
10
0.4
SE
6
0.2
SSE
9
0.2
SSE
9
0.1
SE
13
0.2
ESE
12
Energy kJ
126
89
59
31
34
47
65
31
55
8
8
8
7
13
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
SSE
4
1.1
SSE
5
1.7
SSE
6
1.9
SSE
6
2.5
SSE
7
3
SSE
8
3
SE
8
3
SE
8
3.5
SE
9
3
SE
8
3
SE
8
1.6
SE
8
1.6
SE
9
0.8
SSE
6
0.6
SSE
7
0.5
S
4
0.4
SSE
3
0.6
SSE
4
0.8
SE
4
Energy kJ
28
54
181
251
537
1258
1318
1124
1884
1194
1032
306
393
43
29
7
4
8
26
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
3
4
3
4
3
4
4
4
3
2
2
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
4
Distance (km)
3
24
24
25
39
162
39
24
24
2
2
2
1
0
0
0
0
9
0
0
3
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
4
4
4
3
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
2
3
2
2
4
4
4
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
3
3
3
2
4
4
4
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
5
6
7
4
5
4
5
4
4
4
5
8
9
9
9
5
4
4
5
5
4
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Long Beach:

join our community of surf reporters

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 Long Beach 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 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.

Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest
Nearest locationNearest