Noordhoek Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been watching this coast for years. This is your 16-day look at Noordhoek, a reef break that’s very consistent and gets plenty of southwest swell. The water is about 64°F right now, which is a bit colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit.

The first decent surf is on Saturday afternoon, July 18th. We’ve got a 6ft southwest swell at 10 seconds, with a 15 mph cross-off breeze. The energy is moderate (932), and it’s clean. It’s a bit marginal due to tide, but it’s a start. Sunday morning, July 19th, looks cleaner with a light 6 mph cross-off wind, 6ft SW swell, and a longer 9-second period. The energy is up a bit (1055), and it’s rated very good. Sunday afternoon, the wind jumps to 22 mph, the swell hits 8ft – that’s expert territory – and the wind is cross-off but strong, so only for the experienced.

Monday morning, July 20th, is your first real standout. We’ve got 7ft of WSW groundswell at 10 seconds, light 6 mph cross-off wind, and the energy is strong (2603). The conditions are clean, and the surf is excellent for experienced surfers. This is a solid session. The afternoon sees a weird shift to a 5ft SE swell with a 12-second period, but the wind goes cross and the texture gets bumpy – not the best.

The next few days are a mix of solid swell and tricky wind. Tuesday, July 21st, has a long-period 6ft SW swell (15 seconds!) but the wind is cross-on, making it choppy. Wednesday, July 22nd, has 7ft SW swell at 13 seconds with a fresh 19 mph cross-off wind – it’s clean but the wind is strong. Thursday, July 23rd, morning has 10ft SW swell, but it’s 15 mph cross-off, and it’s described as marginal. The energy is very strong (2457), but it’s a big, windy day.

Friday morning, July 24th, is the total standout. This is a serious event. We’re looking at 13ft from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell, very long period. The energy is massive (7862). The wind is 15 mph from the west, cross-off, and it’s clean. This is a big, powerful, expert-only session. The afternoon drops to 12ft but the wind goes cross, so it’s not as clean.

Saturday morning, July 25th, has 10ft SSW swell at 14 seconds with a tiny 3 mph cross-off breeze – almost glassy. The energy is still very strong (3290), and it’s excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a great morning if you’re skilled. The rest of July 25th and July 26th drops off with smaller swell and cross or cross-on winds.

We hit a rough patch from July 27th morning through to July 31st. The swell stays big (6ft to 12ft), but the wind is either strong cross-off or fresh cross-on, and the energy is moderate to strong. The surf quality is poor or marginal. July 28th afternoon, the wind goes fresh cross-on and it’s lumpy – not good. July 29th and 30th are a write-off with onshore winds and poor conditions.

August 1st is a quiet day with only 5ft SW swell, light cross-on wind, and marginal conditions. But then Sunday morning, August 2nd, is another beautiful window. 7ft from the SSW with a super long 17-second period, light 3 mph west cross-off wind, and the energy is very strong (2861). The conditions are clean and excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon is even better – glassy, with a 3 mph south wind and the same 7ft, 17-second swell. This is the kind of session you wait for.

So, to call it: Your two true standouts are Friday morning, July 24th, for sheer power and size (13ft, 16-second period, clean) and Sunday morning, August 2nd, for cleaner, glassy, long-period groundswell (7ft, 17-second period, glassy). The long period on the 2nd will be best at the reef, just a heads up – it’ll be clean and lined up.

Remember, crowds can pop up here sometimes, so get there early for the good ones.

Rusty.

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