Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 1 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 14s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 1 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 14s period, SW swell with 7,096 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 4.5m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 01) at 5PM. 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+) | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 1st Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Tue 1st Sep) | 15ft (4.5m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let’s have a look at what we’ve got for Onrus. I’m Rusty, and I’ll break it down for you.
The window opens on Wednesday 26 August but there’s nothing doing then – strong cross-onshore wind and poor quality, so best to wait it out. There’s a few quiet days to start before we get into the cleaner stuff.
Thursday 27 August morning kicks off the good run. Onrus is a reef break, exposed to SW swell. We’re looking at 5 ft of S swell at 12 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze. Clean conditions, feeling good. The combined wave energy is moderate at 781, and the water temp is 59°, which is about normal for this time of year. Thursday afternoon stays clean with 5 ft SSW swell, still light wind.
Friday 28 August is a standout. Morning brings glassy conditions with light SSW air, 4 ft S swell at 11 seconds. That’s a real treat – clean, small but fun. Afternoon goes glassy too with 3 ft WSW swell at 14 seconds. The period is nice and long, meaning better shape but longer lulls. This is the best quality stuff in the near-term.
Saturday 29 August is still surfable but the wind goes cross-offshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon, so quality drops off a little. Swell holds around 4 ft to 5 ft.
Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August are mixed. Sunday has onshore wind, so not ideal. Monday morning is clean with light cross-shore wind and 6 ft SW swell, but the real highlight is Monday afternoon: glassy conditions, 5 ft SW swell, period 11 seconds – that’ll be worth a paddle.
Now, into Tuesday 1 September, we’ve got a big change. Swell jumps to 10 ft from the SW, period 14 seconds, with a strong offshore wind. The wave energy is very strong at 3495. But at this size, it’s too big for most – only for experts. The reef will be handling it but expect heavy, powerful sets. Wednesday 2 September stays big with 10 ft on Tuesday morning, dropping to 8 ft by Wednesday afternoon, but the wind shifts cross-onshore so it gets lumpy.
Thursday 3 September is a write-off – gale force onshore wind, messy.
Friday 4 September sees a new SSE swell, 13 ft with offshore wind in the morning – again, only for experts, huge energy. Saturday 5 September is the largest in the whole run: 21 ft S swell on the morning, period 13 seconds, wave energy a massive 13997. That’s serious, dangerous surf. Sunday 6 September stays big with 16 ft and 12 ft S swell, clean offshores but not for the faint-hearted.
After that, Monday 7 September finally drops back. Morning is glassy with 5 ft SSE swell at 10 seconds – clean, nice, a much-needed return to normal. Afternoon is smaller at 3 ft. From Tuesday 8 September onward, the surf fades away with small, weak swells and increasingly poor conditions. By Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September, it’s flat and messy with onshore wind.
Overall, the best windows are Friday 28 August and Monday 31 August afternoon. They offer the cleanest, most user-friendly conditions. The big stuff from 1–6 September is for experts only. Crowds at Onrus are sometimes an issue, so on the clean days, expect company.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Thu morning, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the E on Wed morning, calm by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Very mild (max 16°C on Sat morning, min 10°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
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) | 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 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
512 | 475 | 596 | 628 | 513 | 410 | 279 | 239 | 312 | 414 | 862 | 756 | 1207 | 984 | 887 | 731 | 572 | 275 | 3495 | 7096 | 4284 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross | glassy | off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 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 | 5:22AM1.46m | 5:38PM1.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 11:22AM0.18m | 11:55PM0.20m | |||||||
7:09 | — | — | 7:09 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:03 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | |
— | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 15 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 13 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 12 | SSW 11 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | SW 8 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 |
512 | 325 | 596 | 628 | 513 | 410 | 279 | 214 | 312 | 414 | 862 | 270 | 1207 | 984 | 887 | 731 | 572 | 275 | 3495 | 7096 | 4284 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 14 | S 10 | S 11 | S 11 | WSW 13 | S 6 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | — | — | — |
290 | 320 | 167 | 153 | 150 | 126 | 91 | 239 | 128 | 151 | 85 | 756 | 38 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 141 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SE 8 | WSW 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 10 | S 13 | WSW 17 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | E 12 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | — | SSW 13 | — | — | — |
366 | 475 | 193 | 166 | 26 | 87 | 73 | 62 | 82 | 116 | 130 | 38 | 21 | 11 | 10 | 10 | — | 106 | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 7 | ESE 6 | — | — | W 4 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 3 | — | — | SSE 6 | — | — | — | W 3 | NW 5 | NNW 5 | — |
170 | 93 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 31 | — | — | — | 4 | 35 | 17 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 38 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 38 | 272 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 272 | 220 | 72 |
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.











