
Surf Forecasts:
Strand (Pipe) surf forecast from 11 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 11 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s period, S swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 14s period, SW swell with 1,728 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 11 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 12s period with S 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 Saturday (Jul 11) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.8m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. Another secondary swell of 1.8m and 7s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Strand (Pipe) in the next 16 days are 2.1m 14s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Jul 18) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sat 11th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 7ft (2.1m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Strand (Pipe) over the next 16 days.
Alright surfers, it's Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks has in store for us at The Strand (Pipe).
We’ve got a real mixed bag coming. The first few days are looking solid, with a nice pulse of swell that'll get the blood pumping, but there’s a few days of flatter, wind-affected stuff to sit through before the next big push arrives in the second week. Patience is going to be a virtue.
Starting off this Saturday, July 11th, we've got a clean 6ft south swell rolling in with a 12-second period. The wind is a light offshore from the ESE, setting up some excellent, clean lines. The combined swell energy is moderate (1030), and the water temp is sitting at 59°F, which is about average for this time of year. This is serious fun for anyone with a bit of experience – it's got some push.
Sunday the 12th stays clean, especially in the morning with a light offshore from the east. The swell drops a touch to 4ft by the afternoon, and the wind swings cross-offshore from the SE. It'll still be clean and rideable.
Monday the 13th sees the swell drop away significantly to just 2ft, but it'll be glassy both morning and afternoon. Not much to get excited about wave-wise, but a beautiful day for a paddle.
Tuesday the 14th is pretty much a write-off – the swell is tiny (2ft) and the wind is messy, cross-shore and cross-onshore. Don't bother.
Surf starts to creep back up Wednesday the 15th morning with a small 2ft swell, but it's glassy. The afternoon brings a bigger 7ft SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period, but the wind goes cross-shore. This long-period SW groundswell will have plenty of energy (1939), but it might be a bit walled and straight on a beach break like this. The morning of Thursday the 16th is the real standout early in the outlook – we’ve got a clean 6ft SW swell with a 14-second period, light offshore wind from the west, and glassy conditions. The energy is solid (1167) and the waves will have great shape for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays glassy.
Friday the 17th sees a bigger SSW swell (7ft) but the wind picks up from the SE at 12 mph, making it lumpy. The afternoon is better for the experienced crew – 8ft SSW swell with a strong offshore wind from the ESE, keeping the face clean.
Now, Saturday the 18th is the absolute pick of the first week. The morning is good (5ft SW with a gentle offshore) but the afternoon is the one. We've got a glassy 8ft SE groundswell with a 13-second period. The combined swell energy is pumping (3284). This is a top-notch session for experienced surfers only – that size at a beach break is no joke.
Sunday the 19th still has some decent waist-to-chest high waves, but it's not as clean. From Monday the 20th through Tuesday the 21st, the wind goes onshore from the NNW, ruining the shape of the smaller WSW swell. Expect choppy, poor conditions.
We get a lull in quality again, with tricky cross-shore and cross-onshore winds from the NNW ruining things. There is a bump in size on Wednesday the 22nd with a 8ft SW swell, but the cross-shore wind kills it. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing here.
Hold tight, because the second week delivers. Thursday the 23rd is a gem – glassy conditions all day with a building 6ft to 7ft SW swell and a 12 to 13-second period. Excellent, clean conditions for experienced surfers.
Friday the 24th is the big one for the whole outlook. We’ve got a massive 10ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. The combined swell energy is incredibly strong (4814). The wind is a light cross-offshore from the SSE. This is a serious, expert-only session with huge potential. Long-period SSW groundswell will produce powerful, well-shaped waves, but at that size it’s only for the brave.
Saturday the 25th also looks fantastic with a clean 8ft SSW swell in the morning and a glassy 7ft swell in the afternoon. The window for good waves extends into Sunday the 26th morning, though the swell is a bit short period (8 seconds) and cross-shore wind starts to creep in.
It’s a tale of two halves. The first week has some great windows, especially Thursday the 16th and Saturday the 18th. The second week is the real winner though, with Thursday the 23rd through Saturday the 25th looking like an extended run of serious swell and clean conditions.
Keep your eyes on the prize.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun afternoon, min 12°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 13°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Sat 18 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SW 12 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 13 | SW 14 | SSW 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
726 | 524 | 221 | 237 | 77 | 78 | 67 | 42 | 40 | 23 | 287 | 1513 | 1604 | 1150 | 744 | 880 | 950 | 817 | 1025 | 658 | 479 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | cross-off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | on | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | off | off | glassy |
High Tide | 1:04AM1.43m | 1:48PM1.37m | 2:02AM1.51m | 2:40PM1.48m | 2:54AM1.56m | 3:27PM1.57m | 3:42AM1.58m | 4:12PM1.63m | 4:28AM1.56m | 4:55PM1.64m | 5:11AM1.50m | 5:37PM1.61m | 5:53AM1.40m | 6:18PM1.54m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:35AM0.18m | 7:54PM0.27m | 8:28AM0.09m | 8:48PM0.17m | 9:15AM0.03m | 9:38PM0.11m | 9:59AM-0.00m | 10:25PM0.08m | 10:40AM0.01m | 11:11PM0.10m | 11:20AM0.07m | 11:55PM0.16m | 12:00PM0.16m | ||||||||
— | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:48 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:47 | — | — | 7:47 | — | |
5:50 | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:51 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 20 |
Feels °C | 11 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 9 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSE 13 | SSE 10 | SSW 13 |
726 | 524 | 221 | 237 | 77 | 78 | 67 | 42 | 40 | 23 | 287 | 1513 | 1604 | 1150 | 744 | 880 | 950 | 817 | 1025 | 377 | 479 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | SSE 9 | S 9 | SSW 9 | WSW 11 | WSW 10 | WSW 9 | WSW 9 | W 9 | — | — | — | — | — | SW 19 | SW 11 | SW 14 | SSE 9 |
13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 61 | 61 | 34 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 52 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | 341 | 658 | 189 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | WSW 10 | W 9 | WSW 12 | SSW 9 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 16 | S 13 | SSE 12 |
12 | 10 | 35 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 28 | 16 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 264 | 128 | 195 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 7 | SE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | W 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 5 | ESE 6 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 |
335 | 396 | 68 | 143 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 90 | 270 | 253 | 211 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.











