
Surf Forecasts:
Long Beach surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 6 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 13s period, WSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 21ft (6.5m), 12s period, S swell with 11,568 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 12s period with WSW 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 Monday (Aug 03) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 12s. 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 6.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 09) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 6th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 21ft (6.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Long Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, mates, Rusty here with a look at what's cooking for Long Beach over the next couple of weeks. Let’s get into it.
The week kicks off with a solid run of surf, but things get messy before we see a couple of real standouts further out. The water temperature is sitting at 59°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
Monday afternoon the 3rd sees a clean 4ft swell from the WSW, with a 13-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the south, making for some tidy little waves. This is a nice, manageable start.
Tuesday the 4th is a real treat. The morning is glassy, with a light offshore breeze from the NNE, and the swell is a touch bigger at 5ft from the SW. The energy is moderate (472). This is clean, user-friendly surf, perfect for a long session. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-offshore breeze.
Wednesday the 5th is a write-off. The wind cranks up from the north at 19 mph, turning the 8ft to 8ft swell into a lumpy, onshore mess. Don't bother.
Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th see a big jump in size, with 10ft to 12ft swell from the SW. The wind is cross-offshore, keeping the wave faces clean, but the conditions are marginal. The combined energy is strong (3853 to 5161), so this is serious stuff. Only for experienced surfers in the know.
The weekend of the 8th and 9th is a mixed bag. Saturday sees an 8ft SW swell, but the wind is onshore, making for a crumbly, choppy surface. Sunday morning looks better with a fresh offshore wind cleaning up an 8ft WSW swell, but the rain might put you off. Sunday afternoon the wind goes near-gale, so it's game over.
From Monday the 10th through to the 11th, we get a big, powerful, and very windy system. The swell pumps up to 18ft with a 12-second period, but the wind is howling at 34-37 mph. This is extreme. For a beach-and-sandbar setup like Long Beach, this is more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle-surfing one.
After that blast, things settle down. The 12th of August is the clear standout of the first week. The wind drops to a glassy calm from the northwest, and we get a 7ft swell from the WSW with a very long 20-second period (groundswell). The combined energy is strong (3998). This long-period swell will really wrap into the point, offering some beautiful, long lines. It’s big enough to be for experienced surfers, but the glassy conditions make it world-class.
The 13th to the 15th is a bit of a lull, with onshore and cross-shore winds ruining the 7ft to 8ft swells. Surfable, but not great.
The next real standout comes on the 16th of August. The wind swings to a moderate offshore from the SSW, cleaning up a 8ft swell from the WSW. The energy is moderate (2068), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers.
Then we have the final classic of the run. On the 18th of August, Tuesday morning goes glassy, with a 13ft SW swell and a 14-second period. The energy is very strong (5512). The afternoon is even better, with a 15ft SW swell and a light offshore breeze, the energy is huge (7351). This is a big, powerful, and clean swell. If you've got the skill and the nerve, this is the session to aim for. It's a long way off, but it has the potential to be the best of the whole period.
Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Wed night. Very mild (max 19°C on Mon afternoon, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue morning, fresh winds from the N by Wed night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sun morning. Very mild (max 13°C on Thu afternoon, min 11°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Thu night, calm by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
PM | 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) | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | S 10 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
534 | 533 | 431 | 326 | 472 | 2601 | 2779 | 5618 | 3853 | 2693 | 3913 | 4563 | 5161 | 3893 | 2340 | 2270 | 3587 | 1952 | 2622 | 4706 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross | glassy | cross-off | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | on | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:08PM1.48m | 6:27AM1.27m | 6:48PM1.41m | 7:14AM1.18m | 7:38PM1.32m | 8:18AM1.10m | 8:47PM1.23m | 9:50AM1.05m | 10:22PM1.20m | 11:32AM1.09m | 11:55PM1.25m | 12:49PM1.22m | 1:05AM1.35m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:24AM0.26m | 12:25PM0.29m | 1:09AM0.32m | 1:10PM0.38m | 2:07AM0.39m | 2:12PM0.48m | 3:28AM0.45m | 3:46PM0.55m | 5:10AM0.43m | 5:36PM0.51m | 6:33AM0.34m | 6:57PM0.39m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | |
6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 14 | 12 | 7 |
Temp °C | 19 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 2 | -1 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 |
534 | 533 | 431 | 326 | 472 | 2601 | 2779 | 5618 | 3853 | 2693 | 3913 | 4563 | 5161 | 3893 | 2340 | 2270 | 3587 | 1952 | 2622 | 2190 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | W 11 | SW 10 | W 9 | W 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SW 17 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | — | W 16 | NNW 6 | — |
430 | 142 | 41 | 85 | 141 | 58 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 439 | 9 | — | — | — | 18 | 8 | — | 20 | 23 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | SE 11 | ESE 11 | SW 16 | W 10 | ESE 10 | W 11 | — | — | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
35 | 19 | 12 | 64 | 96 | 10 | 2 | — | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 4 | NW 5 | NNW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNW 5 | S 9 | S 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | 24 | 76 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 104 | 1145 | 4706 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 349 | 186 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 35 | 285 | 411 |
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.











