
Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 6 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 15s period, SW swell with 6,780 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 1 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s 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 Saturday (Aug 01) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 15s. 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 4.0m 15s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 06) 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 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 6th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s get into it. The first few days are a total bust. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st are just junk with a cross-onshore breeze and poor surf, so keep the board in the car. Saturday the 1st of August is still iffy with a cross-shore wind and questionable tide. The water’s at 60°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing to get excited about.
Sunday the 2nd of August is where it starts to get interesting. The morning has a light offshore from the NW, with a clean 4ft swell from the SW, 13-second period, and moderate combined energy (424). That’s a proper groundswell and the clean conditions will make it worthwhile. The real standout is Sunday afternoon. Glassy perfection, 4ft SW swell, 12 seconds, and the energy climbs to 581 (moderate). That’s the best of the early week, and it’s going to be as clean as it gets.
Monday the 3rd of August is the big one. The swell bumps up to 5ft in the morning, with a 15-second period and combined energy of 1124 (strong), and it’s glassy with zero wind. That’s excellent surf for experienced surfers, but at 5ft and that long period, it’s too much for beginners. The afternoon is even better at 6ft, 13 seconds, and 1218 (strong energy), still glassy. This is the session you want to be in the water for. Onrus is a reef break, so that long-period groundswell will really stack up nicely.
Tuesday the 4th of August remains good, with a clean offshore wind in the morning on a 5ft SW swell, 11 seconds, moderate energy (544). The afternoon turns cross-offshore but stays clean. The swell drops a little, but still a solid session.
Now, from Wednesday the 5th of August through to about the 10th, things go nuts. The swell jumps to 10ft and then 13ft, with combined energy readings in the thousands (4511, 4394, 5095, 6780). That’s strong to very strong energy. The wind is offshore or glassy at times, but the swell is simply too big for Onrus – expert-only territory if you’re brave enough, but the forecast even says it’s too big for this break. The 5th and 6th are the biggest, with 10ft to 13ft and 15-second periods. For the average surfer, this is a pass. The conditions later in the week get hammered by onshore winds and rain, with some periods of 16ft swell and near-gale force winds – that’s kite-surfing stuff, not paddle surfing.
After that big pulse, we finally get a return to sanity on Tuesday the 11th of August. Glassy conditions again, with a 5ft swell from the SSE, 11 seconds, and combined energy of 869 (moderate). That’s very good, clean surf. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-offshore wind and 5ft swell. That’s a solid day.
The 12th and 13th of August see another massive pulse of 10ft to 13ft swell with very strong energy (4388, 5812, 6203, 13434). Again, too big for Onrus, and the 13th has a 16-second period, which is a very long groundswell that will be way too straight for a reef break unless you’re charging hard. The 14th of August is still huge, 13ft and 12ft, with strong offshore winds, but again, only for the hardcore crew.
So, the standout session is Monday the 3rd of August – glassy, 5ft to 6ft, long period, strong energy, and clean. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. Sunday the 2nd afternoon is a close second, and Tuesday the 11th is a nice return to form after the big stuff.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 12°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 11°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
600 | 545 | 373 | 278 | 182 | 514 | 431 | 431 | 418 | 479 | 609 | 1124 | 1218 | 878 | 544 | 375 | 1253 | 4511 | 4394 | 3752 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross | off | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | off | off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 4:04PM1.53m | 4:10AM1.48m | 4:34PM1.57m | 4:41AM1.47m | 5:03PM1.58m | 5:13AM1.44m | 5:34PM1.57m | 5:47AM1.39m | 6:08PM1.53m | 6:26AM1.32m | 6:48PM1.46m | 7:13AM1.23m | 7:37PM1.37m | |||||||
Low Tide | 10:12PM0.24m | 10:20AM0.12m | 10:43PM0.22m | 10:48AM0.13m | 11:14PM0.21m | 11:17AM0.16m | 11:47PM0.23m | 11:49AM0.22m | 00:25AM0.27m | 12:25PM0.30m | 1:09AM0.33m | 1:10PM0.39m | 2:06AM0.41m | |||||||
— | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | |
6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:05 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 15 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 15 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 |
600 | 545 | 373 | 278 | 182 | 514 | 431 | 431 | 418 | 479 | 609 | 1124 | 1218 | 878 | 544 | 375 | 1253 | 4511 | 4394 | 3752 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | SW 19 | SE 9 | WSW 16 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 16 | SE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 |
— | 14 | 14 | 39 | 166 | 34 | 37 | 27 | 28 | 102 | 22 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 31 | 30 | 18 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SW 18 | SE 9 | — | — | S 9 | S 9 | SE 11 | WSW 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 10 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 48 | 31 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 30 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 4 | NE 3 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 4 | WSW 6 | — | — | — |
13 | 2 | 33 | 251 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 | 92 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 103 | 72 | 10 |
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.











