
Surf Forecasts:
Onrus surf forecast from 29 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 5 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 10s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 29 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, SSW swell with 1,264 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 1.9m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 29) 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 1.5m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 1st Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 5th Aug) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Wed 29th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Onrus over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let’s break it down in feet and degrees.
We’re starting a bit slow, but there’s a window of clean, fun surf coming up, and then a real big-boy swell hits later on. The first few days are pretty average with onshore winds and messy waves, so you’ll want to sit tight until Sunday morning.
The standout here is without a doubt Onrus – a reef setup that’s exposed to the SW. Water temp is sitting at 15°, which is about normal for the time of year, so no surprise there.
Alright, let’s run through it.
Wednesday 29 July and Thursday 30 July are write-offs. Cross-on winds, choppy, poor surf. Swell sits around 4 ft to 6 ft but the wind just ruins it. Not worth paddling out.
Friday 31 July is still marginal. Morning shows a small 4 ft SW swell (12 seconds) with a cross breeze, and the afternoon stays poor. Not much to get excited about.
Saturday 1 August is a little better but still only marginal. Light winds, a 4 ft SW swell (14 seconds) in the morning, but it’s not clean enough to call it good.
Sunday 2 August – now we’re talking. Morning is clean with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 4 ft SW swell (13 seconds). The afternoon goes glassy, and that is a rare treat. Smooth, clean lines. The combined energy is moderate (424 in the morning, 385 in the afternoon). This is the first real window of quality surf.
Monday 3 August is even better. Glassy conditions both morning and afternoon, with the swell pushing 5 ft (13 seconds) in the morning and a solid 4 ft WSW swell in the afternoon. The combined energy hits 647 in the morning – that’s moderate but with that glassy wind, it’s going to feel way better. This is a top day for Onrus.
Tuesday 4 August drops off a bit. Clean in the morning but only 3 ft, and the afternoon has a very long period 16-second swell but only 2 ft – not enough push for a good session.
Wednesday 5 August – here we go. Morning sees a 8 ft SW groundswell (14 seconds) with offshore winds from the NNW at 15 mph. The combined energy is strong (2356). This is for experienced surfers only – over 8 ft and it’s expert territory. The afternoon is huge: 10 ft, but the wind cranks up to 31 mph from the NW, which is a near gale. That’s too big and too windy for Onrus, but the morning session is a serious standout.
Thursday 6 August to Sunday 9 August – the swell stays big, 12 ft to 13 ft, with clean conditions but the size is way too much for most. The combined energy is massive (up to 7827). This is expert-only, and even then, it’s borderline. The reef will be handling it, but you’ll need to be on your game.
Monday 10 August – a messy day. Onshore winds, 16 ft swell, but it’s a washing machine. Avoid.
Tuesday 11 August – still big, 12 ft to 10 ft, but the afternoon turns glassy. That’s a rare combination but again, only for experts. Combined energy is still very strong (2797 to 3260).
Wednesday 12 August – a drop in size, 5 ft, but cross-on winds make it marginal. Not great.
Thursday 13 August – back to big conditions. 12 ft SW groundswell with a very long 15-second period, and moderate offshore winds. That’s a clean, powerful, expert-only day. The combined energy is 4645 – proper strong.
So, to sum it up: the best windows for a good session are Sunday 2 August through Monday 3 August – clean, glassy, fun-sized waves. For the experienced crew, the Wednesday 5 August morning session is a standout. After that, it’s either too big or too windy until the very end of the forecast.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Fri afternoon, min 10°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 23°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 29 | Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 16 | W 10 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1264 | 1061 | 919 | 669 | 609 | 545 | 373 | 278 | 185 | 463 | 437 | 424 | 418 | 379 | 361 | 647 | 301 | 205 | 162 | 163 | 755 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | glassy | glassy | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:34PM1.47m | 3:39AM1.46m | 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 | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:24AM0.19m | 9:42PM0.28m | 9:52AM0.14m | 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 | |||||||
7:39 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | |
— | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:04 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 21 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 |
Feels °C | 9 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | SW 11 | SW 10 | WSW 10 |
1264 | 1061 | 919 | 669 | 609 | 545 | 373 | 278 | 185 | 463 | 437 | 424 | 418 | 379 | 361 | 647 | 301 | 193 | 162 | 104 | 328 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | — | SE 7 | — | — | — | SW 19 | SW 18 | WSW 16 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | SW 14 | ESE 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 16 | SW 15 |
2 | — | 25 | — | — | — | 14 | 48 | 166 | 37 | 38 | 28 | 10 | 10 | 151 | 14 | 244 | 205 | 91 | 163 | 355 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 10 | — | — | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | ESE 14 | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | SW 18 | W 11 | WSW 10 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 6 | 20 | 199 | 13 | 12 | 51 | 58 | 33 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 7 | ESE 7 | E 3 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 5 | ESE 8 | ESE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | WNW 4 | W 5 | WNW 5 | W 6 | W 10 |
200 | 137 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 28 | 37 | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 9 | 28 | 31 | 98 | 755 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 23 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 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.










