
Surf Forecasts:
Nine Mile Reef surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 9 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, SSW swell with 2,929 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 14s period with SSW 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 Saturday (Aug 08) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.0m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nine Mile Reef in the next 16 days are 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 09) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 3s period and expected on Friday (Aug 14) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nine Mile Reef over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, it’s Rusty here. Looking at the next couple of weeks for Nine Mile Reef, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s some serious size and energy on the way, but the wind’s going to be the deciding factor on whether it’s worth paddling out. The first few days are a write-off unless you’re after a washing machine, but there are a couple of windows of clean, solid surf if you’re an experienced hand.
The opening stretch is rough. Saturday morning (August 8th) has some okay swell at 6ft from the SW, but with a light northerly breeze it’s not really doing much for the break. The real problem hits Saturday afternoon: the swell jumps to 8ft, and while the wind is light, the wave comment says it’s simply too big for this reef. That’s a pass. Sunday and Monday are worse – strong onshore and cross-onshore winds up to 22 mph, making everything a mess. The combined energy is moderate to strong, but the quality is just poor. You’d be wasting your time.
We get a slight breather on Tuesday morning, August 11th. The swell drops to 6ft, but it’s a cross-shore breeze, so it’s marginal. Not worth the paddle.
The first real standout is Wednesday morning, August 12th. The swell is down to 4ft, but the period is a juicy 19 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell. The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, making it clean. The combined energy is moderate (1703), but for a reef break, that long period will make it groomed and hollow. This is a good one for the more experienced among you. Thursday morning, August 13th, is similar – 5ft of SW swell at 19 seconds, clean cross-offshore wind, and strong energy (1964). That’s another solid window.
The middle of the week drops off in size. Friday (August 14th) is glassy but small at 3ft, and Saturday (August 15th) has a moderate offshore, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. Sunday morning, August 16th, picks back up to 5ft with a 13-second period and glassy conditions – that’s a nice, clean pulse. Monday morning (August 17th) is similar, glassy with 4ft of swell.
The second week is more about consistency than size. Tuesday through Thursday (August 18th-20th) sees small, clean surf in the 3-4ft range, with offshore breezes. Nothing epic, but if you need a fix, it’s there. The models are less certain out that far, so keep an eye on it.
Then we hit the big finish. Saturday, August 22nd, the swell comes back with a vengeance – 8ft from the SW. The energy is strong (1948-2468), but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. Again, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. That’s a no-go for anyone but a lunatic. However, Sunday morning, August 23rd, cleans right up. The swell settles to 6ft from the SSW, the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, and it’s clean. The energy is strong (1762), and the period is 12 seconds. This is the pick of the second week, but it’s a long way out, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed.
All in all, the standout sessions are Wednesday and Thursday mornings (August 12th and 13th) – that long-period groundswell with clean wind is the best on offer. The final Sunday (August 23rd) is a close second, but it’s a week and a half away, so we’ll see. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so a steamer is still a good call.
For the beginners out there, stay out of the water on those big days – anything over 5ft here is a handful, and 8ft+ is expert-only. And when the wind is howling onshore and the swell is up, this reef setup looks more interesting for the kitesurfers than for us paddle surfers.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri night, fresh winds from the SSE by Sun afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | ||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1621 | 1144 | 2356 | 1659 | 773 | 1647 | 1027 | 831 | 865 | 1838 | 1022 | 355 | 915 | 911 | 996 | 844 | 1673 | 1174 | 627 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | off | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:22PM1.21m | 11:32AM1.10m | 11:55PM1.26m | 12:49PM1.23m | 1:06AM1.36m | 1:46PM1.38m | 2:01AM1.47m | 2:32PM1.53m | 2:47AM1.55m | 3:14PM1.64m | 3:29AM1.58m | 3:53PM1.70m | 4:08AM1.57m | ||||||
Low Tide | 5:10AM0.44m | 5:36PM0.52m | 6:34AM0.34m | 6:58PM0.40m | 7:33AM0.22m | 7:56PM0.26m | 8:21AM0.11m | 8:45PM0.14m | 9:02AM0.03m | 9:28PM0.06m | 9:40AM-0.01m | 10:08PM0.02m | |||||||
— | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | |
6:08 | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 12 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | — | SSW 11 | S 18 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 16 |
1621 | 1144 | 2356 | 1659 | 773 | — | 1027 | 6 | 394 | 1838 | 1022 | 355 | 915 | 911 | 996 | 844 | 1673 | 1174 | 627 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | — | SW 25 | SSW 11 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SW 21 | SE 12 | S 11 | SE 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 302 | 311 | 101 | — | 100 | 153 | 112 | 64 | 467 | 66 | 2 | 28 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | SW 11 | — | — | WSW 10 | — | SW 10 | SW 10 | SE 9 | S 9 | — | S 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 76 | — | — | 10 | — | 54 | 26 | 12 | 2 | — | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | S 7 | SSW 12 | — | SSW 11 | S 10 | E 4 | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | ESE 6 | ESE 10 | SE 12 | — |
— | — | — | — | 348 | 1647 | — | 831 | 865 | 25 | 444 | 178 | 169 | 626 | 422 | 20 | 223 | 47 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 31 | 21 | 318 | 1401 | 16 | 196 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











