Noordhoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s rolling in for our little corner of the coast.

First up, the water’s sitting at a chilly 62°F—that’s a solid 5°F colder than what you’d expect for this time of year, so you’ll want a good thick steamer if you’re heading out. This spot, Noordhoek, is a reef setup that’s very consistent and fairly exposed to the swell. It likes a proper SW swell, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing.

The best bet in the whole 16-day window is actually the very first session: Wednesday morning, September 9th. It’s a clean 3ft of SW swell with an 11-second period, light NW offshore breeze, and glassy conditions. The combined swell energy is moderate at 289, but the wind is perfect and the break is clean. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so if you want a peak to yourself, get in early.

After that, things get a bit scrappy. The wind swings around to a cross-onshore E breeze on Wednesday afternoon and it stays messy for the next several days. Thursday morning (Sep 10) has a clean cross-off wind and a building 4ft SW swell (period 13s, energy 661)—still a bit of a stronger WSW wind at 18 mph, but surfable if you’re keen, though not a standout.

By Friday morning Sep 11, we’ve got 7ft of SW swell with 13-second period and a cross-off WSW breeze, energy moderate at 1297. That’s a solid push, but it’s on the bigger side for beginners. After that, the wind turns onshore and stays there for the rest of the weekend and into the next week—E and ENE winds, 15 to 25 mph, making everything choppy and messy. The swell stays in the 4ft to 7ft range but it’s just not worth paddling out in that.

There’s a little gap of a few days where I wouldn’t bother. Then we start to see a glimmer of hope again around Monday afternoon Sep 14, when a WNW cross-off breeze cleans up a 4ft SW swell. Better.

Tuesday morning, September 15th, that’s a beauty: 3ft of SW swell with 12-second period and glassy conditions—literally no wind. The combined energy is light at 273, but it’ll be clean and fun for a paddle. That’s your second standout.

The following week gets more powerful but also more dangerous. Wednesday Sep 16 morning kicks off with a 7ft SW swell (16-second period, strong energy at 3873) but a moderate cross-shore wind. By the afternoon the swell jumps to 12ft and the energy hits 6208—that’s very strong, with a cross-onshore S wind. This is expert territory only, and even then, the wind is messy. The same goes for Thursday Sep 17 morning with 10ft of SW swell and a light cross-onshore wind—big, but not clean.

After that, the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore right through to Sep 22, with the odd bit of rain around Sep 20 and 22. Not worth it.

Then, finally, Wednesday morning, September 23rd—this one’s a promising long-range call. A NNE offshore breeze at 6 mph, clean cross-off wind, and a 3ft SSW swell with 14-second period. The energy is moderate at 819, and the forecast says “very good surf conditions.” That’s the last real standout in the window. After that, the wind starts to mess things up again by Thursday afternoon.

So to sum it up: the pick of the whole forecast is Wednesday morning Sep 9 for clean, glassy beginner-friendly waves, and Tuesday morning Sep 15 for another clean glassy session. The big stuff around Sep 16-17 is for experts only, and it’s not clean. Everything in between is blown out. Get in early if you can.

Rusty.

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