Surf Forecasts:
Long Beach surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 18s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 17s period, SW swell with 3,538 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 18s 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 12) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 18s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 8s. 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 2.4m 17s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 8AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 6ft (1.9m) 18s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Long Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s talk surf, metric style. The only spot worth watching in this whole forecast is Long Beach.
We’ve got a solid run of swell coming through, but the wind is going to be the deciding factor. For the first couple of days, starting Wednesday, August 12, you’ve got a solid 6ft to 8ft plus swell hitting, but it’s coming in with a long period around 18 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell with a ton of muscle – energy reading (2698) – but onshore winds Wednesday and Thursday are going to mess it up. Thursday morning gets even bigger, hitting 8ft, but it’s blowing onshore again. That’s a paddling workout, not a clean wave.
Friday, August 14, is a complete washout. Hard onshore wind and dropping swell. It’s a kiting day, not a surfing one.
The absolute standout window is Saturday, August 15. The swell holds at a very clean 6ft from the WSW with a 14-second period, and Saturday morning the wind goes glassy – dead calm. That’s the call of the week. The energy is reliable at (1326), but that flat-calm morning is going to make Long Beach look like a postcard. Expect a few people out. Saturday afternoon turns light offshore too, also very good.
Sunday, August 16, is okay but the wind is cross-on. Then Monday, August 17, is the big one for experts. The swell jumps to 8ft, with glassy conditions again. That’s heavy, powerful stuff – energy at (2591) – and it’s only for experienced surfers.
After that, the middle of the week from Tuesday, August 18 through Friday, August 21 looks rough. Strong winds and smaller, weaker swell. A real lull.
Things turn around again on Friday afternoon, August 21. The wind swings offshore and we get a clean 8ft, 13-second groundswell (1619 energy). That’s a good call for a late session.
Saturday and Sunday, August 22 and 23, are a bit onshore and average.
The final prize is Monday, August 24. The wind is light offshore, but the swell drops to 6ft and the period shortens to 8 seconds. That’s a wind swell, but with those glassy conditions, it’ll be super clean and fun for everyone.
After that, the swell fades out through the rest of the period with only small waves. There’s a late-returning groundswell on August 27 with a 5ft, 16-second swell, but that’s far out and uncertain.
So, if you’ve got one day, make it Saturday, August 15. If you’re an expert looking for power, Monday, August 17 is your session.
That’s it from me.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the ESE on Tue night, light winds from the ESE by Wed afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 21 | SW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2150 | 2344 | 2375 | 1892 | 3538 | 2535 | 1828 | 1475 | 1393 | 1353 | 1306 | 1306 | 1286 | 1241 | 1340 | 2477 | 2591 | 2245 | 1619 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | glassy | off | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 2:47AM1.53m | 3:14PM1.62m | 3:29AM1.56m | 3:53PM1.68m | 4:09AM1.56m | 4:29PM1.69m | 4:46AM1.51m | 5:05PM1.64m | 5:21AM1.43m | 5:39PM1.55m | 5:56AM1.33m | 6:12PM1.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:44PM0.13m | 9:02AM0.02m | 9:27PM0.05m | 9:40AM-0.01m | 10:08PM0.02m | 10:16AM-0.00m | 10:46PM0.04m | 10:51AM0.05m | 11:22PM0.10m | 11:24AM0.14m | 11:56PM0.19m | 11:56AM0.25m | 00:31AM0.30m | ||||||
 |  | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | 6:13 | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
Feels °C | 7 | 10 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 21 | SW 18 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 17 | WSW 16 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 2150 | 2344 | 2375 | 1892 | 3538 | 2535 | 1828 | 1475 | 1393 | 1353 | 1306 | 1306 | 1286 | 1241 | 1340 | 2477 | 2591 | 2245 | 1619 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SW 21 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | SE 11 | SE 11 | WNW 5 | W 5 | W 6 | SE 4 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | W 18 | — | ESE 10 | SE 4 |
| kJ | 211 | 244 | 205 | 1875 | 180 | 134 | 80 | 57 | 31 | 28 | 20 | 21 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 55 | — | 34 | 4 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SW 10 | SW 10 | S 10 | — | NNW 7 | — | — | — | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | E 11 |
| kJ | — | 110 | 64 | 9 | — | 29 | — | — | — | 12 | 35 | 37 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ESE 8 | — | SE 7 | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 4 | NW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | — | — |
| kJ | 468 | 857 | — | 242 | — | — | 18 | 22 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 9 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
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