Surf Forecasts:
Noordhoek surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 15 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 18s period, SW swell with 2,088 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 14 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Noordhoek this week:
The surf forecast for Noordhoek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 14) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 14s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Noordhoek in the next 16 days are 1.8m 18s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Fri 14th Aug) | 4ft (1.2m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 15th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Noordhoek over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up for Noordhoek, a reef setup that’s very consistent and fairly exposed to the SW. This spot is best when the swell rolls in from the SW direction, which is exactly what we’re seeing through most of the forecast.
The water temperature is sitting at 60°, which is a whopping 7° colder than average for this time of year. That’s seriously unusual – you’ll want a thick wetsuit out there, no doubt.
Now, the first few days are a bit of a write-off. Wednesday afternoon (12th August) is a mess with strong cross-onshore winds and poor conditions. Thursday’s not much better, with a lumpy cross-chop, and Friday morning (14th August) offers a glimmer of hope with clean waves around 4 ft from the SW, but it’s still marginal. Saturday morning (15th August) is the first real bright spot – light offshore winds, clean surf at 4 ft from the SW, and the combined energy is moderate (460). It’s not huge, but it’s clean and rideable.
Then we hit Sunday (16th August) – still small, clean in the morning but the afternoon gets messy. The real standout comes on Monday the 17th. Monday morning looks fantastic – light offshore wind, clean, 5 ft SW swell with a moderate combined energy of 722. This is your best bet in the first week. The afternoon bumps up to 6 ft, but the wind goes onshore, so stick to the morning.
The rest of the week is a mixed bag. Tuesday morning (18th August) has clean 6 ft SW swell but fresh winds, so it’s a bit blustery. Wednesday the 19th gets interesting – 10 ft from the WSW in the morning, but with a short period of only 7 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell. That’s going to be a bit lumpy and messy. The afternoon jumps to 12 ft from the SW with a moderate combined energy of 2866, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. This is getting into expert territory size-wise, but the quality isn’t there.
The second week kicks off with some big cleanup. Friday the 21st morning has 5 ft SW swell with light offshore winds, clean and tidy. The best of the second week, however, looks like Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th if you’re an expert. Sunday morning sees a massive 10 ft SSW swell with a long period of 15 seconds and a combined energy of 4485 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is only a gentle cross-onshore, so it’s a bit choppy but still surfable. Monday morning is 12 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, energy 5290, but cross-shore winds make it lumpy. These are powerful, long-period groundswells, and they’ll be best at reefs and point breaks. Noordhoek is a reef, so it should handle them well, but only for experienced surfers.
Then we get a little drop. Tuesday 25th morning has 6 ft SW swell, clean-ish cross-shore winds, and it’s a return to moderate size. The absolute standout of the entire 16-day forecast is Thursday the 27th morning. Glassy conditions, zero wind, 5 ft SW swell with a period of 13 seconds, and combined energy of 843. This is going to be perfect – clean, consistent, and a great size for intermediates. Mark that morning in your calendar.
To wrap it up: the best on offer is Monday 17th morning for a clean, fun swell, and Thursday 27th morning for that glassy perfection. The big swells around the 23rd and 24th are for experts only, and the water is seriously cold, so don’t forget your rubber.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Wed night, light winds from the SE by Sat afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Mon afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SSW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1263 | 1281 | 2088 | 1158 | 853 | 734 | 668 | 404 | 398 | 380 | 353 | 388 | 410 | 893 | 1050 | 1129 | 1182 | 2021 | 681 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:55AM1.86m | 4:19PM1.96m | 4:32AM1.87m | 4:55PM1.98m | 5:07AM1.84m | 5:29PM1.95m | 5:40AM1.77m | 6:02PM1.87m | 6:12AM1.67m | 6:36PM1.75m | 6:44AM1.55m | 7:09PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 9:51PM0.27m | 10:03AM0.18m | 10:27PM0.23m | 10:37AM0.16m | 11:02PM0.23m | 11:09AM0.18m | 11:35PM0.29m | 11:39AM0.25m | 00:06AM0.38m | 12:09PM0.35m | 00:38AM0.49m | 12:39PM0.47m | 1:11AM0.62m | ||||||
— | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
5:45 | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 26 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 27 | 30 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
Feels °C | 8 | 10 | 14 | 13 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 22 | 26 | 17 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | E 8 | SW 15 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 12 |
1263 | 1144 | 2088 | 1158 | 470 | 734 | 386 | 230 | 177 | 380 | 353 | 388 | 410 | 893 | 1050 | 1129 | 154 | 117 | 479 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SSW 20 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 16 | S 10 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | E 9 |
125 | 1281 | 7 | 6 | 853 | 2 | 668 | 404 | 398 | 76 | 94 | 127 | 88 | 326 | 302 | 204 | 160 | 123 | 63 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | — | — | S 9 | — | — | S 13 | SW 4 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | SSW 16 | — | — | E 9 |
31 | 16 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 3 | 9 | 73 | 108 | 121 | 198 | — | — | 147 | — | — | 63 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | — | WSW 5 | — | ENE 4 | N 3 | WSW 3 | WSW 5 | — | — | — | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 8 |
1175 | 913 | 866 | 947 | 614 | 373 | — | 28 | — | 25 | 5 | 3 | 42 | — | — | — | 1182 | 2021 | 681 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 206 | 246 | 207 | 38 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 145 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 239 | 6 | 7 | 206 | 206 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Noordhoek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Noordhoek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Noordhoek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Noordhoek surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Noordhoek) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Noordhoek may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Noordhoek is 11 km (7 miles) from the city of Port Elizabeth. If you plan a holiday in Eastern Cape (South), look for hotels and other accommodation in Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











