Surf Forecasts:
Off The Wall surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 8,591 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 11s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Off The Wall this week:
The surf forecast for Off The Wall over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Off The Wall in the next 16 days are 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 5s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 27th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sat 29th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Off The Wall over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, the surf crew, Rusty here. Let’s break down what we’ve got coming up at Off The Wall.
We’re starting off slow, but there’s a big ramp-up towards the end of the first week and into the second. The water temp is sitting at 57° which is a bit colder than we usually see this time of year, so you might want an extra mm of rubber.
The first few days are a bit of a tease. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th of August have small, clean waves, but the energy is weak (835 and 680). Friday morning is looking glassy with a 3 ft swell from the WSW, but it’s tiny. The real action starts to build on Saturday the 29th. Saturday morning we’ve got a solid 5 ft from the WSW, period at 14 seconds, and the energy is starting to pump (1086). The wind is a clean cross-off, so it’s shaping up well. But Saturday afternoon gets a bit messy with 25 km/h winds and rain, pushing the size up to 7 ft. Sunday the 30th has some size at 8 ft from the SW, but the wind is a bit stronger at 20 km/h, and the quality is more marginal.
Now, the standout period is from Tuesday the 1st of September through to Friday the 4th. This is where things get serious. Tuesday morning is already 8 ft from the SW with a long 13-second period and massive energy (1922). Then it just keeps building. Wednesday the 2nd is a beast – 13 ft from the SW, period at 14 seconds, and the energy reading is off the charts at 6596. This is expert territory. The wind is offshore from the NNW in the morning, so it’ll be clean, but this is big, powerful groundswell. With a period that long, it’ll be best on a reef like Off The Wall, but it’s only for the experienced crew. It’s way too big for beginners.
Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th stay around the 10 ft to 12 ft range, with strong offshore winds from the SE hitting 40 km/h on Friday. That’s hardcore offshore, making the faces clean but a real mission to paddle into. The energy is still huge (4623 on Friday morning). This whole stretch is for the advanced surfers only.
After that big pulse, things settle down nicely. Saturday the 5th of September drops to a much more manageable 7 ft from the S in the morning, with light winds and clean conditions. Energy is still good (1916). This is probably the best window for the average experienced surfer, before it drops off quickly. Sunday the 6th is smaller again at 4 ft, but with a very long 15-second period and glassy morning conditions. It’ll be clean and fun, but the energy is lower (744).
From Monday the 7th, we go into a flat spell. The swell drops to under 3 ft, with poor conditions and weak energy. This lasts right through Wednesday the 9th. It’s a real lull, nothing to get excited about.
Then, there’s a promising but less certain pulse right at the end of the forecast. On Thursday the 10th of September, we see a jump back to 5 ft to 6 ft from the WSW with a very long period of 15-16 seconds, but the wind is strong at 30-35 km/h, so it’ll be a bit blown out. The real standout in this second week is Friday the 11th of September. We’re looking at a solid 13 ft from the SW again, period at 13 seconds, with a moderate offshore from the SE at 25 km/h. The energy is massive (4638). This is another big, clean, expert-only day, but it’s a fair way out, so keep an eye on it.
Overall, the best on offer is the Saturday the 5th of September morning for the advanced crowd, and the Wednesday the 2nd to Friday the 4th of September stretch for the hardcore experts. The beginning of the run is a slow build, and there’s a flat gap from the 7th to the 9th.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat afternoon. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Sun morning, min 10°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
513 | 501 | 351 | 280 | 527 | 491 | 930 | 1576 | 905 | 1703 | 1426 | 1215 | 907 | 757 | 1111 | 1922 | 2331 | 8591 | 6596 | 5602 | 2929 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:09PM1.72m | 3:20AM1.67m | 3:36PM1.78m | 3:50AM1.71m | 4:05PM1.82m | 4:21AM1.72m | 4:35PM1.83m | 4:53AM1.70m | 5:08PM1.81m | 5:28AM1.64m | 5:44PM1.74m | 6:07AM1.55m | 6:26PM1.64m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:55AM0.38m | 9:17PM0.38m | 9:23AM0.33m | 9:46PM0.32m | 9:52AM0.30m | 10:15PM0.29m | 10:21AM0.30m | 10:47PM0.29m | 10:52AM0.33m | 11:21PM0.34m | 11:26AM0.40m | 11:59PM0.41m | 12:04PM0.49m | 00:44AM0.52m | |||||||
7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | |
— | 6:23 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:27 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 11 |
Temp °C | 21 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 12 |
Feels °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 4 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | SW 8 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
513 | 501 | 351 | 279 | 527 | 491 | 930 | 1576 | 352 | 1703 | 1426 | 1215 | 907 | 757 | 1111 | 1922 | 2331 | 8591 | 6596 | 5602 | 2929 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | S 10 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SE 10 | WSW 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
246 | 180 | 138 | 280 | 171 | 96 | 88 | 61 | 905 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 11 | SSE 13 | WSW 17 | SSE 13 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
76 | 26 | 125 | 121 | 57 | 117 | 68 | 97 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 2 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 7 |
— | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 247 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 277 | 9 | 25 | 25 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 12 | 23 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 139 | 603 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Off The Wall Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Off The Wall provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Off The Wall can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Off The Wall 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 (Off The Wall) 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 Off The Wall 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near Off The Wall, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 8 km (5 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Robben Island which is 12 km (7 miles) away, Bellville, Atlantis and Kayamnandi.











