Surf Forecasts:
Strand (Pipe) surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 13 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s period, SW swell with 943 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 16s 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 (Aug 13) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strand (Pipe) in the next 16 days are 1.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 13) 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 1.8m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Thu 13th Aug) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strand (Pipe) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with the long-range look for our local patch, Strand (Pipe). It’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but there are a couple of sessions that have got me proper excited.
Right off the bat, the water is sitting at 57°, which is a good couple of degrees cooler than we’d normally expect for this time of year. That’s a bit of a shock to the system, so don't forget the thick rubber if you’re heading in soon.
The immediate outlook is a bit of a slow burner. For Thursday the 13th, we’ve got a solid 5ft SW groundswell rolling in with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is pumping at 1349, so there’s plenty of push. The wind is a light cross-off from the NNE, making for clean conditions. This is excellent, but that size and power with a long period means it's going to be a bit heavy and straight for the beach. This is really one for the experienced crew only.
Things go a bit pear-shaped after that. Friday the 14th through to Tuesday the 19th is mostly a write-off with messy winds from the NW and NNW messing up the surface. Swell drops right off to under 3ft and the energy is weak. There are a couple of glassy mornings on the weekend of the 15th and 16th, but the swell is tiny—only 3ft—so you’ll be fighting for dribblers on a log.
The Standout
Now, listen up, because Saturday the 22nd is the big one we’ve been waiting for. We’ve got a new 6ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and the energy is massive at 2003. It's a bumpy morning with a light cross-shore wind, but it's still rideable for the blokes with some skill. The real magic, however, is the whole run from Sunday the 23rd through to Tuesday the 25th. Sunday the 23rd morning sees that 4-5ft SW swell with a light offshore breeze from the ESE—clean, lined up, and offering very good conditions. Monday the 24th is a seductive one: glassy conditions, a clean 3ft SW groundswell, and clear skies. It’s not huge, but it’ll be perfect and uncrowded.
So, your best bet is the window from early on Sunday the 23rd through to Tuesday the 25th. The winds are light, the swell is clean and consistent for Strand. The water may be chilly, but the vibes will be warm.
Keep in mind that into the following week, another big pulse shows up on Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th (6-7ft), but the onshore winds look messy. That Friday the 28th is worth a mention though—an excellent, clean 6-7ft SW swell for the experts, with cross-off winds cleaning it right up. That’s your one to watch for the second week, but it’s a long way out so keep your fingers crossed.
Stay stoked, and I’ll see you in the water.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 21°C on Sun afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1327 | 943 | 611 | 360 | 355 | 308 | 264 | 257 | 332 | 418 | 503 | 828 | 651 | 569 | 511 | 634 | 527 | 471 | 540 | 361 | 373 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:53PM1.70m | 4:08AM1.58m | 4:29PM1.71m | 4:45AM1.53m | 5:04PM1.66m | 5:21AM1.45m | 5:38PM1.57m | 5:55AM1.34m | 6:12PM1.45m | 6:30AM1.23m | 6:46PM1.31m | 7:09AM1.11m | 7:26PM1.17m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:40AM-0.02m | 10:08PM0.02m | 10:16AM-0.01m | 10:46PM0.04m | 10:51AM0.05m | 11:22PM0.10m | 11:24AM0.14m | 11:56PM0.19m | 11:56AM0.25m | 00:30AM0.31m | 12:28PM0.38m | 1:06AM0.43m | 1:03PM0.51m | 1:52AM0.55m | |||||||
 | |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 7:26 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — |
 | — | 6:12 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:14 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:16 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
Feels °C | 21 | 24 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | WSW 14 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 |
| kJ | 1327 | 943 | 611 | 360 | 355 | 308 | 264 | 257 | 332 | 418 | 503 | 828 | 651 | 569 | 503 | 386 | 416 | 471 | 540 | 361 | 373 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 6 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 12 | W 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 8 | SE 4 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 13 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 9 | 35 | 35 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 23 | 1 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 511 | 634 | 527 | — | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | E 11 | E 11 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 22 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 18 | 10 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNW 3 | WNW 4 | — | — | — | — | NNW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 3 | SE 4 | SSE 6 | SSE 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 4 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 17 | 200 | 42 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 29 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 10 | 25 | 25 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Strand (Pipe) surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest