
Surf Forecasts:
Strand (Pipe) surf forecast from 23 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 23 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 17s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 27 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 7,856 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 23 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Strand (Pipe) this week:
The surf forecast for Strand (Pipe) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 23) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.8m and 20s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strand (Pipe) in the next 16 days are 4.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 27) 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 1.9m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Jul 29) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 23rd Jul) | 10ft (3.0m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 27th Jul) | 13ft (4.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strand (Pipe) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the upcoming surf window for Strand (Pipe). We've got a solid run of clean, quality swell coming in, so let’s get straight into it.
The first real action kicks off Thursday afternoon, July 23rd. After a windy, rainy morning that you'll want to sleep through, the wind swings around to an offshore ENE, dropping to a glassy 3 mph. That’s the key. The swell is a nice 6 ft from the SSW, with a solid 12-second period pushing energy into the coast. The combined energy is a strong 1293, so there’s plenty of power. This sets up excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The water temp is sitting at 59°, right around average for this time of year, so a wetsuit is fine.
Friday morning, July 24th, is the absolute standout of this whole forecast. It's going to be a special session. We’ve got clear skies and glassy NW winds at 3 mph. The swell builds to a meaty 8 ft, still from the SSW, but with a very long 15-second period. That’s a proper groundswell. The energy jumps to a massive 2371. For you guys who can handle it, this is as good as it gets. Just remember, with that long period, the sets will be more defined, so be patient in the lineup. It’s one for the experts at that size.
The quality holds through Saturday, July 25th. The morning is glassy again with an offshore light breeze, and the swell backs down slightly to a still-powerful 6 ft. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays glassy with a light S wind, offering very good surf.
Sunday morning, July 26th, will be fun for the intermediates. It’s glassy with a smaller 4 ft swell from the SSW. Expect very good, clean conditions. The crowd factor is listed as "sometimes", so it shouldn't be a zoo, but you might have a few out.
After Sunday, the wind turns cross-offshore from the ESE for the rest of the week, but it stays clean. The swell dips a bit on Monday, July 27th and Tuesday, July 28th, but there’s still plenty of energy. However, that ESE wind builds to a fresh 19-22 mph on Tuesday, making it more of a battle. The quality is marginal then.
We then get a bit of a lull from the end of July right through the first few days of August. Swell drops below 3 ft and the conditions are ordinary. August 3rd Monday afternoon shows a little bump up to 4 ft with a clean cross-off wind, offering a chance at a session.
The window closes out with a few chunky, but messy, days from August 4th to the 7th. Swell jumps back up (6 ft to 7 ft), but the wind is onshore or strong cross-shore, making it a choppy mess. Not worth paddling out for. This setup looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us.
So, to sum it up: your absolute best bets are Friday morning, July 24th, for the big, clean groundswell, and Thursday afternoon, July 23rd, for the start of the run. Don't sleep on Saturday or Sunday mornings either.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Warm (max 21°C on Sun morning, min 12°C on Mon night). Winds increasing (calm on Sun morning, strong winds from the SE by Mon night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | Wednesday 29 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 11 | SW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
515 | 730 | 4784 | 2349 | 1874 | 1222 | 1060 | 949 | 734 | 433 | 711 | 647 | 1690 | 7856 | 1786 | 1670 | 1230 | 779 | 788 | 711 | 408 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | glassy | off | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross | off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:47AM0.98m | 11:05PM1.09m | 12:12PM1.02m | 00:20AM1.12m | 1:11PM1.10m | 1:15AM1.19m | 1:54PM1.19m | 1:57AM1.26m | 2:30PM1.28m | 2:33AM1.34m | 3:02PM1.37m | 3:06AM1.40m | 3:33PM1.45m | 3:38AM1.43m | |||||||
Low Tide | 4:45PM0.65m | 5:58AM0.54m | 6:16PM0.62m | 7:00AM0.48m | 7:16PM0.55m | 7:45AM0.39m | 8:00PM0.46m | 8:21AM0.31m | 8:36PM0.38m | 8:53AM0.23m | 9:09PM0.31m | 9:22AM0.17m | 9:40PM0.26m | ||||||||
7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:43 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:41 | — | — | 7:39 | — | — | |
— | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | |
mm | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 15 |
Feels °C | 8 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 |
515 | 730 | 4784 | 2349 | 1874 | 1127 | 1060 | 949 | 734 | 433 | 711 | 647 | 1690 | 7856 | 1786 | 1670 | 1230 | 779 | 788 | 711 | 408 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 13 | SSW 20 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 7 | WSW 14 | SSW 13 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | SSW 15 | S 11 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | — | — | S 13 | — | — | SSW 15 | — | SE 7 |
7 | 485 | 23 | 22 | 42 | 1222 | 569 | 5 | 10 | 172 | 9 | 153 | 711 | — | — | 3 | — | — | 619 | — | 42 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 23 | SE 12 | — | — | — | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | — | — | ESE 10 | S 10 | WSW 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
10 | 39 | — | — | — | 12 | 23 | — | — | 9 | 34 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNW 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ESE 3 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | S 6 | S 17 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 7 |
25 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 16 | 17 | 6 | — | — | 229 | 5252 | 469 | 368 | 373 | 189 | 63 | 43 | 131 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 6 | 282 | 205 | 207 | 1963 | 262 | 207 | 3797 | 56 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Strand (Pipe) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Strand (Pipe) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Strand (Pipe) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Strand (Pipe) 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 (Strand (Pipe)) 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 Strand (Pipe) 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.
Strand (Pipe) is 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Grabouw. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Grabouw. Grabouw has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










