Noordhoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

The overall pattern is a solid run of SW groundswell, but we’ve got a few days of messy wind to work through before things clean up. The water is sitting at 62.8°, which is a solid 3.8° colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good thick wetsuit, maybe boots.

The first real chance to get wet is Monday morning, August 3rd. The swell is a clean 4.3ft from the SW with a 13-second period, and the wind is a light NNE cross-off. That’s going to leave the surface glassy and clean. The combined energy is decent at 612, so there’s enough push for a fun session on a longboard or a fish. Crowds are possible at Noordhoek, so get out early. This is a good start to the week.

Tuesday morning, August 4th, is another clean one with a 4.3ft SW swell and a light NNE cross-off, but the energy is slightly lower at 514. Still a solid morning if you missed Monday.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. Wednesday morning, August 5th, drops to 3.0ft from the SSW with a long 15-second period. That’s a groundswell, but it’s small. Wednesday afternoon jumps up to 5.6ft but the wind goes cross-on, so it’s a bit of a write-off. Thursday, August 6th, sees a big jump to 9.8ft, but the wind is cross and messy, and the energy is huge at 3349. That’s a lot of water moving, but it’s not clean. That swell is too big for beginners and only for the most experienced. Friday morning, August 7th, is the standout of the first week. We’ve got a solid 9.8ft SW swell with a 14-second period, energy at 4078, and a light W cross-off wind. That’s clean, powerful, and for experienced surfers only. The break could be handling it well, but at that size, it’s a serious session. Friday afternoon is a bust with a 13.1ft swell and onshore wind.

Saturday, August 8th, is still big at 8.2ft with a NW cross-off, but the wind is up to 12 mph, so it’s clean but a bit lumpy. The rest of the week into the 9th and 10th is a write-off with strong winds and rain.

Things start to look better again on Wednesday, August 12th. The morning is clean with a 5.9ft SSW swell, light N cross-off, and energy at 1935. That’s a good, solid intermediate wave. Thursday, August 13th, is a real gem. The morning is glassy, with 0 mph wind from the east, and a 6.9ft SW swell with a very long 17-second period. The energy is 2785, and it’s clean. That period is so long, it’s going to be a proper groundswell that will line up beautifully at the reef. The biggest standout comes on Friday, August 14th. Morning session: 8.2ft SW swell, 15-second period, light N cross-off wind, and the energy is massive at 4445. That’s the best combination of size, power, and clean conditions in the whole forecast. Mark it in your calendar.

After that, the weekend of the 15th and 16th is smaller and still good, with a clean 6.6ft to 6.9ft swell and light winds, but not as powerful. Monday, August 17th, has a nice WNW offshore wind in the morning, but the wind picks up strong in the afternoon. Tuesday, August 18th, finishes the run with a clean 7.2ft SW swell and light cross-off.

So, the two true standouts: Friday morning, August 7th for the big, powerful, clean 9.8ft surf, and Friday morning, August 14th for the near-perfect 8.2ft groundswell with glassy winds. The 14th is probably the pick of the whole 16 days.

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