Noordhoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve just pulled the long-range forecast for our local reef. The big picture is a wild ride – we’ve got some serious, powerful groundswell on the horizon, but it’s going to be mixed in with some proper storms and a few cleaner windows. The standout is undeniably the massive pulse on Wednesday, 2nd September, but that’s an expert-only beast. The first few days are a bit of a write-off for clean surf, so let’s get into it.

To kick things off, we look at Noordhoek (reef). The water is sitting at 60.3°, which is a solid 6.1° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a very unusual, nippy chill. The good news is the swell is coming from the optimum SW direction, and the reef is fairly exposed.

Tuesday morning, 25th August sees a solid 10.0 ft SW groundswell with a long 16 second period, packing a massive 4645 combined energy. The wind is a cross-off, so the waves will be clean, but the forecast says it’s marginal – likely a tide issue. It’s a big, powerful swell for the crew who know the reef. The afternoon remains similar, 10.0 ft at 15 seconds (3967 energy), but the wind stays cross-off and clean.

Wednesday, 26th August is a write-off. The morning brings a 11.5 ft SSW swell with a 17 second period (7554 energy), but it’s blown out by a strong 30 km/h cross-on wind. The afternoon is even worse, with 40 km/h winds. This is one to skip.

Thursday, 27th August is nothing to get excited about. The swell drops to 7.2 ft SSW with a 12 second period (1534 energy), and the wind is a messy cross. The morning is a gentle cross-shore with slight chop, not great.

Friday, 28th August looks like a small, clean session. The morning is 3.9 ft from the S at 11 seconds (492 energy), with a light, clean cross-off wind. The afternoon is similar, 3.9 ft at 11 seconds (614 energy) and still clean. It’s small, but the conditions are good for a fun, uncrowded paddle.

Saturday, 29th August is a tale of two halves. The morning is tiny, 3.3 ft S swell at 12 seconds (484 energy), but with glassy, offshore NW winds at 5 km/h. It’s clean and could be a fun little wave. The afternoon turns ugly with a 25 km/h cross-shore wind and a 3.0 ft SW swell – messy.

Now, the best session of the first week, and it’s a big one. Sunday, 30th August – the morning has a 10.0 ft SW swell, but the period has dropped to 8 seconds (1181 energy). The wind is a clean cross-off from the WSW at 25 km/h. Because of the short period, it’s going to be a bit of a lumpy, wind swell, but it’s clean. The afternoon is a 8.2 ft SW, also 8 seconds (1393 energy), but the wind shifts to a messy cross-shore. The morning is the pick.

Monday, 31st August is a drop off. The morning is 6.9 ft SW at 12 seconds (1124 energy), but with a light cross-on wind. It’s marginal, and the afternoon is a complete write-off with a choppy onshore wind.

Tuesday, 1st September the morning is a clean 4.6 ft SW at 11 seconds (462 energy) with a cross-off wind – small but workable. The afternoon is a strong 40 km/h clean cross-off, but the swell jumps to 7.2 ft (1090 energy) – the wind is too strong for a good session.

And here it is, the true standout and the biggest swell of the forecast. Wednesday, 2nd September – the morning is a massive 16.4 ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period, pumping an insane 10305 combined energy. The wind is a light, clean cross-off. This is a huge, powerful, and dangerous swell. The forecast says it’s predicted to be too big for this break, so this is strictly for expert, experienced chargers on the biggest day of the year. The afternoon drops to 13.1 ft (7008 energy) with a 35 km/h cross-off wind – still clean, but still massive.

Thursday, 3rd September the morning is a 10.0 ft SW at 12 seconds (2943 energy), but it’s blown out by a 35 km/h cross-shore. The afternoon is a 6.9 ft (2123 energy) with a light cross-on – marginal.

From here, the rest of the forecast into the second week is pretty poor. Friday

Read more