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Surf Forecasts:
Nine Mile Reef surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Tuesday 19 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Nine Mile Reef surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Nine Mile Reef sea temperature is
16.6° C
(Which is slightly cooler than normal)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 Wednesday (May 20) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 1.2m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Nine Mile Reef in the next 16 days are 1.8m 15s and forecast to arrive on Monday (May 25) at 11PM. 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 (May 22) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Wed 20th May) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Wed 20th May) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 25th May) | 6ft (1.8m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Nine Mile Reef over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Wed afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SSE 8 | SW 13 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 15 | SW 14 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | |
466 | 450 | 834 | 639 | 83 | 84 | 60 | 157 | 179 | 261 | 301 | 249 | 142 | 331 | 137 | 644 | 706 | 560 | 570 | 1159 | 519 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross | off | |
High Tide | 5:17PM1.48m | 5:34AM1.44m | 6:10PM1.40m | 6:30AM1.31m | 7:12PM1.33m | 7:37AM1.18m | 8:23PM1.28m | 8:56AM1.10m | 9:38PM1.26m | 10:19AM1.08m | 10:48PM1.28m | 11:29AM1.11m | 11:44PM1.31m | 12:24PM1.17m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:26PM0.22m | 11:52AM0.19m | 00:24AM0.32m | 12:48PM0.30m | 1:33AM0.41m | 1:52PM0.40m | 2:54AM0.46m | 3:06PM0.46m | 4:18AM0.46m | 4:22PM0.49m | 5:27AM0.42m | 5:28PM0.47m | 6:20AM0.36m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 |
 | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | 5:45 |
— | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 22 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 20 |
21 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 7 | S 7 | SW 18 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 9 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 13 |
 kJ | 136 | 95 | 184 | 119 | 83 | 34 | 27 | 157 | 179 | 261 | 301 | 249 | 141 | 331 | 74 | 644 | 706 | 560 | 570 | 1159 | 519 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | S 6 | SSW 15 | SSE 5 | SW 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSW 17 | SSE 10 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 20 | 14 | 71 | 69 | 41 | 84 | 52 | 46 | 42 | 35 | 66 | 26 | 142 | 5 | 109 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 237 | 10 | 12 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 10 | — | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SE 9 | SW 20 | SSE 7 | S 10 | SW 10 | ESE 13 | SW 16 | SE 14 | SSW 19 | SW 17 | SE 5 | — | — | SSE 10 | SE 10 | SSE 6 |
| kJ | 20 | — | 50 | 35 | 51 | 12 | 60 | 9 | 35 | 27 | 17 | 41 | 8 | 34 | 137 | 1 | — | — | 10 | 25 | 20 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | — | NNW 2 | NW 3 | NW 3 | NNW 3 | NW 4 | — | — | S 6 | SE 6 | — | — | SE 3 | ESE 3 | SSE 4 | — | — |
| kJ | 466 | 450 | 834 | 639 | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | — | — | 23 | 15 | — | — | 2 | 8 | 13 | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 16 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Nine Mile Reef 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 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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