Long Beach Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.13° S 18.33° E

Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 19 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Long Beach sea temperature is
14.2° C
1.5° 

Long Beach surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Long Beach surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 12s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, SW swell with 4,271 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s 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 (Aug 19) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Long Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 13s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2PM (Wed 19th Aug)8ft (2.5m) 12s
Best Surf 2AM (Thu 20th Aug)10ft (3.0m) 12s
Most Powerful 8AM (Thu 20th Aug)11ft (3.5m) 13s

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


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s size up what Long Beach is serving up for the next couple of weeks.

We kick off Wednesday the 19th of August with some solid swell straight away. The water is 58°F, so a few degrees colder than average – you’ll want a decent wetsuit. Wave energy is strong, with readings of 2078 and 1742 across the sessions. Swell is 8ft from the SW with a 12-second period, so there’s some real grunt. The wind is light offshore from the SSE in the morning, turning to a gentle offshore in the afternoon, giving you clean, smooth waves. This is proper surfing for the experienced crew. Long Beach is a sandbar setup, fairly consistent, and sheltered from the SW, exactly where this swell is coming from. The standout is Wednesday morning – that’s your session.

Thursday the 20th gets even bigger. Morning swell hits 12ft from the SW with a 13-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 3903, which is strong. A light offshore SSE breeze keeps it clean, but this is over 8ft, so it’s experts-only. The afternoon eases to 10ft with a cross-off wind, still clean but not as perfect. Experienced surfers only.

Friday the 21st backs off. Morning has 6ft SW swell with a moderate cross-off wind. It’s clean but the quality drops. Afternoon goes to 5ft and cloudy with a moderate offshore – nothing to get excited about.

The weekend is a bust. Saturday the 22nd is onshore and cross-onshore, with messy 4ft to 6ft swell. Sunday the 23rd bounces back with 8ft WSW swell, a light cross-off in the morning cleaning up to a moderate offshore in the afternoon. The energy is strong (1909 and 1546), and it’ll be good for experienced surfers again.

The next week starts to fade. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are marginal with cross-off winds and smaller swell. Wednesday the 26th afternoon has a gentle offshore and 6ft SW swell that’ll be clean and fun for intermediates.

Then it gets rough. Thursday the 27th through the end of August is mostly marginal to poor. Friday the 28th sees a jump to 10ft in the afternoon, but a fresh cross-off wind and a short 9-second period make it ugly. Saturday the 29th is a write-off: 13ft swell with a near gale-force cross-off wind, blown out and dangerous. The energy is 4764, very strong, but the wind wrecks it. Sunday the 30th is onshore and messy.

Now, early September has a late call that could be special. Monday the 31st of August has a clean 8ft WSW swell with a 15-second period and a gentle cross-off breeze. That’s groundswell, and at a sandbar it might be a bit straight, but the energy is strong (3693) and conditions are excellent for experts.

The real gem is Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning is glassy – dead calm – with a 7ft WSW swell at 14 seconds and combined energy of 2140. Glassy conditions and solid SW groundswell? That’s as good as it gets. The afternoon stays clean with a gentle offshore. This is the standout of the second week, but it’s over a week out, so keep an eye on it. The following days drop off into smaller, weaker surf, with a final pulse of 10ft+ swell on Thursday the 3rd of September, but cross-off winds and shorter period mean it’s not the same quality.

Bottom line: your best bets are Wednesday morning the 19th and the glassy Tuesday the 1st of September. The big stuff in between is for experts when the wind behaves. Those weekend gaps are a drag, but the surf doesn’t stay poor for long around here.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Fri afternoon, min 12°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Fri morning, calm by Fri night).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the WNW on Sat night, fresh winds from the SE by Mon night).

Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
Tuesday
25
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
4
3
4
4
3
1
2
1
2
0
0
4
3
3
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.5
SW
12
2.5
SW
12
3
SW
12
3.5
SW
13
3
SW
12
2.5
SW
12
1.9
SW
11
1.4
WSW
11
1.4
SSW
10
1.3
SSW
13
1.8
SW
11
2.4
WSW
14
2.4
WSW
13
2.3
WSW
12
2.1
WSW
12
1.5
WSW
12
1.4
SW
10
2.2
SW
14
2.2
SW
13
1.9
WSW
13
1.4
SW
15
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2078
1742
2294
3903
2536
1735
882
458
400
587
821
2313
1909
1546
1215
559
392
1902
1599
1226
869
Wind (km/h)
20
SSE
15
S
5
S
10
SSE
20
SSE
30
SE
25
SE
25
SSE
15
SSW
15
NNW
15
NW
10
SSE
10
SSE
20
S
20
SSE
25
SSE
30
SSE
30
SE
20
SE
20
SE
10
E
Wind State
off
off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
off
off
on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
High Tide
7:28PM1.15m
8:04AM0.99m
8:30PM1.04m
9:46AM0.92m
10:24PM0.98m
11:55AM0.96m
00:06AM1.03m
12:59PM1.06m
1:02AM1.13m
1:37PM1.18m
1:41AM1.24m
2:08PM1.31m
2:13AM1.33m
Low Tide
1:05PM0.51m
1:54AM0.54m
1:55PM0.63m
3:17AM0.62m
3:49PM0.70m
5:32AM0.61m
6:07PM0.66m
6:46AM0.52m
7:07PM0.56m
7:27AM0.41m
7:45PM0.45m
7:59AM0.31m
8:17PM0.34m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:22
7:20
7:18
7:18
7:16
7:16
7:13
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:19
6:19
6:20
6:21
6:21
6:22
6:22
 mm
Temp °C
13
14
14
14
14
13
13
15
13
14
15
15
13
14
13
13
14
13
16
23
25
Feels °C
9
10
13
13
11
9
8
11
9
12
12
15
11
11
10
9
9
8
12
20
22
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

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