Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 14s period, WSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,358 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 12s period with S 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 Thursday (Aug 27) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Onrus in the next 16 days are 2.4m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 6ft (1.8m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's coming up for our little corner of the coast. The swell window is looking a bit mixed, so we’ll have to be patient and pick our moments.
We’ve got a few small pulses of energy, but nothing massive or long-lasting right off the bat. The water temp is sitting at about 59°, which is a touch below the norm for this time of year – nothing crazy, just a reminder it's still winter.
The standout window is Thursday, August 27th. We’ve got a clean 5ft groundswell pushing in from the south-southwest, with an 11-second period. The real story that day is the wind: glassy, dead calm conditions both morning and afternoon. It’s going to be smooth, clean, and the reef at Onrus will offer up some nice, workable lines. The combined energy is decent, sitting at 688 (moderate), but the lack of wind chop will make it feel much better than the numbers suggest. Crowds are a possibility here, so get out early.
Saturday, August 29th, is another one to circle. We’re looking at 5ft swell from the west-southwest, 13-second period, and glassy conditions again in the morning. The energy picks up a bit to 884. The afternoon sees a bit of a bump to 5ft with a clean cross-off breeze – still good, but the morning glass-off will be the premium session.
Now, a word of caution about the first week of September. Around the 1st and 2nd, a big, powerful SW groundswell moves in, hitting 10ft to 12ft. The period is long at 14 seconds, with massive energy readings over 3000 and even 4000. This is expert territory only. While the wind is offshore and clean on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, this much water moving over the reef at Onrus will be heavy, challenging, and likely shut down for most. This is more of a tow or big-wave crew slot, if it's even makeable.
After that big pulse, the following week from the 3rd to the 6th of September gets messy. Strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions dominate, with 7ft to 12ft of wind-affected chop. Honestly, it’s going to look more interesting for kite surfing than a clean paddle session for most of those days.
The real sleeper hit comes right at the tail end of the forecast. Monday, September 7th afternoon looks absolutely world-class for the right crew. We’ve got 4ft of groundswell from the southwest with a very long 15-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 1088, but the period is the story. It’s glassy, dead calm, and that long-period SW swell will wrap in beautifully. This is a reef break, so a long period groundswell like that is ideal – it will handle the shape perfectly. The energy will be substantial, the lines will be clean, and the paddle-out easy between sets. It’s a full week and a half out, so keep a close eye on it, but right now it’s the one to dream on.
Bottom line: hit Thursday the 27th, Saturday the 29th, and keep a very close watch on the 7th of September. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too big for a fun, relaxing session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Thu afternoon, min 10°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Wed morning, light winds from the W by Thu morning). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | ||||||||||||||
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 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 16 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
2216 | 2358 | 1637 | 1242 | 512 | 410 | 651 | 541 | 504 | 271 | 274 | 243 | 389 | 408 | 1233 | 692 | 722 | 800 | 550 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on |
High Tide | 1:42AM1.27m | 2:10PM1.34m | 2:15AM1.37m | 2:38PM1.46m | 2:45AM1.46m | 3:06PM1.56m | 3:15AM1.52m | 3:34PM1.64m | 3:45AM1.55m | 4:02PM1.68m | 4:16AM1.55m | 4:32PM1.68m | 4:48AM1.52m | ||||||
Low Tide | 8:02AM0.33m | 8:19PM0.37m | 8:29AM0.23m | 8:48PM0.27m | 8:56AM0.15m | 9:17PM0.18m | 9:23AM0.10m | 9:46PM0.12m | 9:50AM0.07m | 10:15PM0.09m | 10:19AM0.07m | 10:46PM0.09m | |||||||
— | 7:11 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | |
6:17 | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 12 | 15 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
Feels °C | 10 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | S 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | S 12 | WSW 9 | SW 8 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 |
2216 | 2358 | 1637 | 1242 | 512 | 410 | 651 | 541 | 504 | 271 | 274 | 214 | 389 | 408 | 96 | 280 | 373 | 800 | 550 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | S 6 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SSW 8 | S 7 |
86 | 251 | 144 | 62 | 290 | 268 | 167 | 153 | 150 | 151 | 91 | 243 | 94 | 116 | 145 | 692 | 722 | 226 | 134 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | WSW 11 | S 13 | WSW 17 | ESE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | ESE 13 | E 12 |
— | — | — | 53 | 288 | 392 | 125 | 295 | 26 | 95 | 91 | 90 | 117 | 116 | 14 | 40 | 22 | 16 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ESE 3 | E 4 | ESE 5 | ESE 7 | ESE 8 | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | W 3 | WSW 14 | — | — | — | — |
— | — | 7 | 12 | 54 | 168 | 392 | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1233 | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 45 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 272 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Overberg | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.











