Surf Forecasts:
The Wedge surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 14s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 14s period, SW swell with 2,261 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 21 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for The Wedge this week:
The surf forecast for The Wedge over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 21) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at The Wedge in the next 16 days are 2.4m 14s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-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 Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Fri 21st Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for The Wedge over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, I’ll keep it local and straight from the sand here. Let’s break down what’s coming for The Wedge.
First up, this is a very sheltered breakwater setup that really only goes off when a solid SW to W swell lines up with clean winds. The water temp is running pretty normal for late August, no big anomaly to talk about right now.
The first real surf worth paddling out for is Friday morning, 21 August. The Wedge will see a clean 7 ft SW swell with an 11-second period, and that cross-off light breeze from the SSE will keep the face nice and smooth. Combined wave energy is moderate (1106). Not huge, but it’s a solid start. Friday afternoon drops off with cross winds and smaller swell – not worth hanging around for.
Saturday looks flat and junked up. By Sunday morning, 23 August, we get a bigger pulse: a 7 ft WSW swell, period stretching to 13 seconds, and again clean cross-off winds. That’s solid energy (1667) and it holds through Sunday afternoon with a 8 ft, 12-second WSW swell (1596). Light wind all day. That Sunday is a standout.
Monday the 24th drops back a little – 6 ft SW morning, 4 ft afternoon – but still clean. Tuesday morning, 25 August, jumps back up: 8 ft SW swell, 14-second period, combined energy hitting 2157. That’s a proper groundswell pulse, and the periods are long – better for the reef here than a beach break. Winds stay clean cross-off. Tuesday afternoon holds at 7 ft with the same long period.
Wednesday the 26th morning still has a clean 5 ft WSW swell (13s). Then it fades. Thursday the 27th is poor. Friday the 28th sees a new 5 ft to 6 ft WSW swell with 14-second periods, but the wind is cross or cross-on, so it’s not clean.
Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are messy – the 8 ft swell on Saturday afternoon has some energy (2079) but wind is cross and it looks lumpy. Sunday morning is big for the spot – 8 ft SSW – but short period (10s) and moderate breeze kills the quality.
Into the last week of August and first days of September, we’re in a lull. Small weak swells, onshore or cross winds. Not worth a trip.
But hold onto your board… the real standout is sitting out there for Thursday and Friday, 3 and 4 September. Thursday morning delivers a massive 16 ft WSW swell, period 14 seconds, combined energy absolutely pumping at 10384. Offshore E breeze. Clean. That’s for expert surfers only – well over 8 ft. Thursday afternoon is 18 ft, 15-second period, but a bit of cross-chop from the S wind – still massive. Friday morning, 4 September, is the gem: 16 ft SW, 14 seconds, clean offshore E winds – glassy, heavy, powerful. Friday afternoon stays clean with 15 ft SW and light cross-off airflow. That whole window is for experienced chargers only.
The Wedge won't be consistent through the whole 16 days, but there’s some great windows of clean, long-period SW and WSW swell in the first week and a proper big-swell finale in the second week. That Thursday/Friday at the start of September is the real one to watch – but it’s still a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.
Stay sharp out there.
- Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 12 | SW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
1610 | 1106 | 485 | 358 | 451 | 629 | 1193 | 1387 | 1596 | 1299 | 961 | 376 | 2038 | 2157 | 1788 | 972 | 648 | 525 | 542 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:42PM1.27m | 9:53AM1.16m | 10:27PM1.21m | 11:59AM1.20m | 00:10AM1.25m | 1:03PM1.31m | 1:08AM1.34m | 1:42PM1.42m | 1:47AM1.44m | 2:13PM1.53m | 2:20AM1.53m | 2:41PM1.63m | 2:51AM1.61m | ||||||
Low Tide | 3:29AM0.83m | 3:59PM0.91m | 5:24AM0.82m | 6:03PM0.88m | 6:38AM0.74m | 7:07PM0.78m | 7:23AM0.64m | 7:47PM0.67m | 7:57AM0.54m | 8:19PM0.57m | 8:27AM0.46m | 8:48PM0.47m | |||||||
— | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — | |
6:19 | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 13 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 26 | 23 |
Feels °C | 10 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 24 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | SW 12 |
1610 | 1106 | 435 | 358 | 451 | 629 | 1193 | 1387 | 1596 | 1299 | 961 | 376 | 2038 | 2157 | 1788 | 972 | 648 | 525 | 542 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 | WSW 14 | SSW 11 | — | — | SSW 13 | SW 10 | W 11 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 |
— | — | 310 | 291 | 214 | 27 | 494 | 280 | — | — | 66 | 253 | 157 | — | 84 | 98 | 134 | 113 | 64 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 14 | — | — | WSW 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 15 | — | — | — | — | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 |
— | — | — | 77 | — | — | 195 | — | — | — | — | 171 | — | — | — | — | 170 | 167 | 38 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | SE 5 | SSW 11 | — | NW 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | SSE 5 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SE 7 | SE 7 | — |
— | 56 | 485 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | 105 | 129 | 283 | 230 | 334 | 285 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the The Wedge Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for The Wedge provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at The Wedge can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our The Wedge 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 (The Wedge) 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 The Wedge 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near The Wedge, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 2 km (1 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Robben Island which is 15 km (9 miles) away, Bellville, Kayamnandi and Stellenbosch.











