Nine Mile Reef Surf Break

Lat Long: 34.07° S 18.66° E

Nine Mile Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 13 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Nine Mile Reef sea temperature is
13.8° C
1.7° 

Nine Mile Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Nine Mile Reef surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 18s period, SW swell with 1,327 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 19s period with SW swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Nine Mile Reef this week:

The surf forecast for Nine Mile Reef over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Nine Mile Reef in the next 16 days are 1.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.7m 4s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 16) at 5PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 8AM (Thu 13th Aug)4ft (1.2m) 19s
Best Surf 2AM (Wed 19th Aug)7ft (2.1m) 12s
Most Powerful11AM (Thu 13th Aug)5ft (1.5m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nine Mile Reef over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the stretch ahead. We’ve got a mixed bag coming, with some real clean windows but also some proper messy spells to dodge.

The main story is a solid pulse of long-period SW groundswell that’s going to push through at the start. Thursday morning sees the peak of it, with Nine Mile Reef pulling in a clean 5-foot of SW swell. That’s packing serious energy (1418), with a very long 18-second period that’ll make for some powerful, lined-up waves. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want that extra layer. The wind is a light offshore breeze from the NNE, so conditions will be glassy. That said, this one’s for the experienced crew only – it’s got some punch, and that long period means it’ll be a bit more suited to a reef or point setup than a straight beach.

As we move into Thursday afternoon, the swell drops a touch to 4-feet with a still-decent 16-second period, but the wind goes cross-offshore, losing a bit of that perfection. Friday stays smaller at 3-feet, but the morning has a clean offshore breeze, keeping things tidy. Saturday morning is the real sleeper – the swell is 3-feet from the SW, but we’ve got glassy conditions. That’s a goldilocks window for a longboard or a funboard, when the ocean goes silent and it’s just you and the lines.

Then things go pear-shaped. From Wednesday the 20th through the 21st, the wind swings onshore and gets nasty, blowing 15-28 mph from the SE. The swell is all over the place with short, weak periods (7 seconds) and rubbish quality. The combined energy drops right off (down to 347 on the 21st), and it’s proper choppy and messy. That’s a write-off for a paddle, but with that much cross-onshore wind and a beach setup, it’ll be a kite surfer’s dream.

Things start to look interesting again on Saturday the 22nd. We get another big burst of long-period SW groundswell – 5-feet with a 16-second period and massive energy (1543). But the catch is a cross-onshore breeze from the SE, which will put a bump on the face and make it lumpy. The Sunday and Monday after that are still plagued by onshore winds, so quality is a no-go.

Clear your calendar for Tuesday the 25th. The swell is small (2-feet), but we finally get a proper offshore breeze from the N at 15 mph. It’ll be clean, but you’ll be hunting for the little runners. The real payoff looks to be Thursday the 27th. Swell picks back up to 4-feet from the SW with a 13-second period, and a light offshore wind from the NNW will have it glassy. That late-August window looks promising if the forecast holds.

Overall, the standout is that Thursday morning session on the 13th if you've got the chops, and the glassy Saturday morning on the 15th for the cruisy crew. Everything past that week is a game of patience with the wind.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light.

Thursday
13
Friday
14
Saturday
15
Sunday
16
Monday
17
Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
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
3
2
2
2
2
1
2
1
3
3
2
2
3
3
1
!
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.5
SW
18
1.3
SW
16
1.1
SW
16
0.9
SW
15
0.9
SW
15
0.9
SW
14
0.9
SW
14
0.9
SW
13
0.9
WSW
14
0.9
WSW
15
1.1
SW
15
1.5
SW
14
1.3
WSW
13
1.3
SW
13
1.2
SW
13
1.2
SW
12
1.1
SW
12
2.1
SW
12
1.6
WSW
11
1.2
SW
11
1.8
SSE
6
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
1327
943
611
360
355
308
264
257
328
372
503
840
581
569
488
430
367
1229
592
360
215
Wind (km/h)
10
NNE
15
NNW
15
N
25
N
15
NW
10
NE
5
S
5
S
10
NNW
15
NNW
10
NW
5
N
5
S
10
SSE
5
NNW
10
NW
15
SSW
20
SSE
25
SE
25
SE
15
ESE
Wind State
off
cross-off
off
off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
on
off
cross-off
cross-off
off
on
on
glassy
cross-off
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
3:53PM1.70m
4:08AM1.57m
4:29PM1.70m
4:45AM1.52m
5:04PM1.66m
5:21AM1.44m
5:38PM1.57m
5:55AM1.34m
6:12PM1.44m
6:30AM1.23m
6:46PM1.31m
7:09AM1.11m
7:27PM1.17m
Low Tide
9:40AM-0.01m
10:08PM0.02m
10:16AM-0.00m
10:46PM0.04m
10:51AM0.05m
11:22PM0.10m
11:24AM0.14m
11:56PM0.20m
11:56AM0.25m
00:30AM0.31m
12:28PM0.38m
1:07AM0.43m
1:04PM0.51m
1:53AM0.55m
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:26
7:26
7:24
7:24
7:22
7:20
7:20
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:13
6:14
6:15
6:15
6:15
6:16
6:16
 mm
Temp °C
22
25
22
17
18
14
15
19
16
17
19
16
17
18
16
16
17
14
13
13
12
Feels °C
19
20
19
12
14
13
14
18
15
13
15
14
16
16
16
15
14
12
8
8
8
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  • 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 Nine Mile Reef Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Nine Mile Reef provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Nine Mile Reef can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Nine Mile Reef 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 (Nine Mile Reef) 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 Nine Mile Reef 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.

Nine Mile Reef is 19 km (12 miles) from the very large city of Bellville. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Bellville. Bellville has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as cheap car hire and transport links.

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