Noordhoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let's break it down in feet and inches.

We got a bit of a slow start, but hold tight. The real action kicks off on Monday, 17th August. That morning, Noordhoek is gonna be the place to be. We’re looking at a solid 7ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period. The water’s temp is sittin' right around average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the WSW, which is gonna leave those lines clean. The combined energy is pumping at 1564 - that's a solid, moderate-to-strong push. This is the standout session for the whole outlook, no question. It’s a reef break, super consistent, and it's set up for intermediate surfers. The water’s gonna be a bit cool, but nothing a good wetsuit can't handle.

Monday afternoon the wind swings onshore a bit, and the quality drops. Tuesday morning the 18th still has some decent 7ft SW swell, but a moderate breeze nudges the quality down. Wednesday morning, the 19th, another one for the experienced crew - 10ft SW swell, clean, light offshore from the NNE, and the combined energy is a strong 2419. That’s a big, powerful wave. It’s a reef, so it'll handle it, but you better know what you're doing.

After that, the week gets a bit messy. Thursday the 20th brings a massive 12ft SW swell on Thursday afternoon, but the wind is a moderate cross-shore, so it's gonna be a battle. The combined energy hits 3588 – that’s a lot of water moving, but it’s gonna be a washing machine. Friday the 21st is a write-off with a fresh cross-onshore wind. Saturday the 22nd is a blown-out mess with gusts near gale force, even though the swell is still there. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing.

The weekend of the 23rd and 24th sees some more massive swell, 10ft to 12ft, but the wind is never quite perfect. The 23rd afternoon has a combined energy of 9301 – that is incredibly powerful, but the cross-shore wind will make it lumpy. Still, if you’re an expert, that might be your jam.

Late in the window, around the 28th of August, we get a very long-period groundswell – 20 seconds – pushing in from the SSW. The swell is 7ft to 12ft, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore. That long period stuff is prone to closing out on a beach break, but this is a reef break, so it could handle it. The energy is strong (4497 and 5443), but the conditions are marginal. It’s a long-range call, so not as solid as that Monday morning.

Gaps? There’s a solid run of surf from Monday the 17th through to the end of the window, but the quality drops off a cliff after Thursday the 20th, with a few days of truly poor conditions. It picks up again in the last week, but with the wind issues.

The clear winner is Monday morning, 17th August at Noordhoek. That’s your session.

Rusty.

Read more