Monwabisi Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, gents and sheilas, Rusty here. This is the surf outlook for Monwabisi Strand.

Let’s be straight with each other – the first week and a half of this sixteen-day run is a bit of a write-off for good waves. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and that combined with the local swell energy means the conditions are poor for most of that time. For the first few days, you’re looking at a mix of onshore slop and lumpy cross-chop, so don't bother getting too excited about the forecast until the wind behaves itself. There is a real gap of poor to marginal surf from the start all the way through until the end of the first week.

The first real standout comes on Sunday the 6th of September in the afternoon. That’s when the magic happens. The wind goes glassy, and the water will be like a mirror. The swell is a long period 1.3m (4ft) from the SSW at 16 seconds, and the combined energy is strong at 973. It won’t be huge, but with clean conditions and that groundswell, it’s going to be the most fun you’ll have all week. That’s the one to pencil in for a smooth, relaxed session.

Then, on Monday morning the 7th of September, it stays clean with a NNW cross-offshore breeze and a 1.0m (3ft) swell from the SSW at 14 seconds – smaller than Sunday but still very rideable. Another decent window for logging some clean waves.

After that, things go quiet and marginal for the next several days. The surf dips in size and the wind turns cross or onshore again, keeping the quality low. You can probably leave the board at home from Tuesday the 8th right through until Friday the 11th.

There is one more interesting window in the second week. On Sunday the 13th of September, we see a bigger pulse of swell. The morning has 2.5m (8ft) from the SSW at 13 seconds with a moderate cross-shore (combined energy 2135 – very strong), but it’s lumpy. The afternoon cleans up with a ESE cross-offshore breeze, same 2.5m (8ft) size and the period lengthens to 14 seconds (combined energy 2773). That’s a serious amount of water moving around, and with clean conditions, it’s a legit option for experienced surfers only. That kind of size is not for beginners.

Monday the 14th continues the trend with a 2.1m (7ft) SSW swell but a light onshore wind in the morning. The afternoon is the real treat for that day though: a NW cross-offshore breeze, 1.8m (6ft) from the S at 13 seconds (combined energy 1533), and the wording says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. That’s another standout in that second week if you can handle the size.

Water temp at Monwabisi Strand is running 15°C (58°F), which is about a degree cooler than normal for this time of year – so a bit nippy, but nothing shocking for the spring.

The optimum swell direction for this spot is from the south, and most of the decent swells are coming from the SSW or S, so that lines up well directionally.

To sum it up: hold fire until Sunday the 6th afternoon for the glassy session. Then the next big call is Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th for the bigger, cleaner, more powerful groundswell. That’s your short list.

Rusty.

Read more