
Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 7 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 7 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 4,435 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 7 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Onrus this week:
The surf forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 07) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 3s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Onrus in the next 16 days are 3.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 7s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Fri 7th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sat 8th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right then, let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.
Onrus is a reef break that's exposed to the southwest swell, but it's inconsistent and picks and chooses its moments. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.
The week kicks off with a massive pulse of energy. Friday the 7th of August sees a 10ft SW swell rolling in with a combined energy of 3427, that's strong. The problem is that this reef is going to be too big for most. The morning has a cross-on wind, making it choppy, but the afternoon cleans up as the wind swings cross-off. Still, that's a lot of water moving around. Saturday the 8th of August morning is the first real standout. The swell drops to a still hefty 8ft from the SW, but the wind goes offshore from the NW, and it's clean. The combined energy is 2126. This is proper, powerful groundswell with a 13-second period. It's expert-only territory at this size, but for those who can handle it, this is the best on offer for the whole run. The afternoon gets messy with rain and a cross-shore wind.
Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th are write-offs. Strong onshore winds and lumpy, poor conditions, with the swell energy still high. Tuesday the 11th is no better with fresh cross-onshore winds.
The following week shows some promise but with a lot of marginal conditions. Wednesday the 12th through Friday the 14th of August sees the swell dropping, but the wind goes light. The real beauty appears on Friday the 14th afternoon. The swell is a much more manageable 5ft from the WSW with a 17-second period, and the wind goes glassy. The combined energy is 1616. That's a long-period groundswell, so it will be lining up nicely on this reef, clean as a whistle. That's the second standout for the more experienced surfer who wants something a bit more user-friendly than the previous weekend.
Saturday the 15th also has glassy conditions in the morning, with a 7ft WSW swell, and Sunday the 16th has a gentle offshore wind in the morning with a 5ft swell. The pattern holds through to Monday the 17th with clean conditions and 8ft of swell.
After that, the energy drops off. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th are marginal, with the swell dropping below 5ft and the winds turning onshore. The run ends with a big, messy spike on Friday the 21st of August. A 13ft swell rolls in, but the wind is cross, and the combined energy is 3360. This is too big for the break and looks more like a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session, especially with the lumpy conditions forecast for the following Saturday.
So, to sum it up, the best windows are Saturday the 8th of August morning for the big, powerful, and clean swell for experts only, and then Friday the 14th of August afternoon for the glassy, long-period groundswell for the experienced crew.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (calm on Fri afternoon, fresh winds from the S by Sun morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Wed afternoon, min 8°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Tue morning, calm by Wed afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | S 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
3419 | 4234 | 3119 | 2126 | 4435 | 3732 | 2495 | 3233 | 2037 | 729 | 1085 | 1821 | 1000 | 828 | 1314 | 1967 | 1761 | 1899 | 3016 | 1983 | 1511 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross |
High Tide | 9:48AM1.08m | 10:22PM1.23m | 11:33AM1.12m | 11:57PM1.28m | 12:51PM1.25m | 1:08AM1.39m | 1:47PM1.41m | 2:02AM1.50m | 2:34PM1.55m | 2:49AM1.57m | 3:16PM1.67m | 3:31AM1.61m | 3:54PM1.73m | 4:09AM1.60m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:45PM0.57m | 5:11AM0.46m | 5:37PM0.54m | 6:35AM0.36m | 6:59PM0.41m | 7:35AM0.23m | 7:58PM0.27m | 8:23AM0.12m | 8:47PM0.15m | 9:04AM0.04m | 9:30PM0.07m | 9:42AM-0.00m | 10:10PM0.04m | ||||||||
7:31 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | |
— | 6:06 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:08 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:10 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 23 |
Feels °C | 10 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 16 | 20 | 23 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | S 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 11 | SW 22 | SW 19 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
3419 | 4234 | 3119 | 2126 | 4435 | 3732 | 2495 | 2680 | 1600 | 729 | 652 | 1821 | 1000 | 828 | 1314 | 1967 | 1761 | 1899 | 3016 | 1983 | 1511 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | — | — | — | — | — | E 9 | — | S 13 | S 9 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 26 | SW 24 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSE 10 | SW 21 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 |
7 | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 3 | 373 | 334 | 76 | 27 | 208 | 238 | 163 | 55 | 1401 | 164 | 119 | 80 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 10 | SSW 13 | — | SW 26 | WSW 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SW 10 | SSE 10 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 514 | — | 27 | 10 | 98 | 35 | 64 | 38 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 12 | SSW 12 | S 9 | S 10 | E 3 | E 4 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3233 | 2037 | 665 | 1085 | 5 | 17 | 495 | 492 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 25 | 17 | 0 | 83 | 83 | 941 | 2885 | 95 | 4 | 220 | 23 | 38 | 32 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Overberg | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Latest Updates
Information about the Onrus Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Onrus provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Onrus can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Onrus 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 (Onrus) 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 Onrus 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.
Onrus is 6 km (4 miles) from Hermanus. If you plan a holiday in Overberg, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hermanus. Hermanus has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











