Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, SW swell with 9,547 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 27 Aug, 5AM (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 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m 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 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 8s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Righto, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what Onrus has cookin' over the next couple of weeks.
It's a slow start, I won't lie to ya. The first couple of days are pretty average, with Wednesday 26th a write-off thanks to a fresh cross-onshore breeze making a mess of things. Thursday 27th is where it starts to look a bit more promising. We get a clean, 5ft S swell with a 12-second period, and a light cross-offshore wind. The wave energy is moderate at 781. It's gonna be a decent session for the intermediate crew; the swell's not too nasty, but there's some push to it.
Friday 28th morning is the first real standout in the first week. It's glassy, dead calm, with a 4ft S swell. The period is a touch short at 11 seconds, but that glassy surface is a gift. The combined energy is on the lower side of moderate at 493, so it'll be a cruisy one, but the quality of the wave will be there.
The weekend sees a bit of a bump. Saturday 29th afternoon pushes up to 6ft from the WSW with a 14-second period and a clean cross-offshore breeze. The wave energy jumps right up to 1570 (moderate to strong), so there's some grunt, but the wind is favourable. Sunday 30th gets bigger but the wind goes against it; that 7ft swell is getting cross-onshore, so it'll be lumpy.
Now, the big news. The first few days of September are where things get serious. Monday 31st August morning looks clean and solid with a 6ft SW swell and light offshore wind. But the highlight—and I mean the standout—is Tuesday 1st September. We're looking at an 12ft SW swell early, with a very long 14-second period, and a strong offshore wind from the NW at 25 mph. The combined energy is a massive 4542. This is serious, expert-only territory. It's too big for anyone but the very experienced. The wave will be a beast, but it's going to be clean, powerful, and demanding. Wednesday 2nd holds similar size, but the wind gets a bit messy.
After that, the wind turns against us from Thursday 3rd September through to Saturday 5th September, with solid cross-onshore breezes ruining a lot of the swell. We've got a real low point here with a few days of poor surf. Things settle down a little on Sunday 6th September morning with a glassy 4ft SSE swell, but it's a short period (8 seconds) and low energy.
For the rest of the second week, it's mostly onshore or cross-shore junk. Nothing worth writing home about until maybe Thursday 10th September when we get a fresh offshore wind, but the swell is tiny at 2ft with a very long 16-second period. It could be glassy clean, but there's just not enough water to get you going seriously.
The standout to aim for? No question, it's Tuesday 1st September. That offshore, solid groundswell is the pick of the whole forecast window. If you're an expert and like it heavy and clean, that's your day. For everyone else, Thursday 27th and Friday 28th August offer the best chance at a fun, manageable wave. The water temperature's about average for this time of year.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 11°C on Tue night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Tue night, calm by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sat night. Very mild (max 17°C on Sat afternoon, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 16 | S 11 | S 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1067 | 512 | 392 | 596 | 628 | 513 | 410 | 279 | 239 | 373 | 408 | 1351 | 624 | 669 | 1299 | 874 | 857 | 645 | 664 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 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 | 5:04PM1.65m | |||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:49AM0.11m | 11:19PM0.13m | ||||||
— | 7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | |
6:19 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 9 | 10 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | WSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SW 7 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 10 |
1067 | 512 | 383 | 596 | 628 | 513 | 410 | 279 | 214 | 373 | 408 | 1351 | 624 | 223 | 1299 | 874 | 857 | 645 | 664 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 6 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | SSE 11 | WSW 13 | SSE 10 | S 7 | SE 10 | S 10 | WSW 11 |
64 | 290 | 309 | 167 | 153 | 150 | 95 | 91 | 239 | 128 | 116 | 86 | 39 | 669 | 10 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 93 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | ESE 8 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 10 | S 13 | WSW 16 | SSE 11 | — | SSE 10 | E 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | S 10 |
104 | 366 | 392 | 193 | 134 | 26 | 87 | 123 | 62 | 82 | 177 | 133 | — | 21 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 2 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | ESE 7 | ESE 7 | — | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
26 | 175 | 116 | — | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 273 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 45 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 31 | 8 | 220 | 32 | 83 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 0 |
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.











