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Thermopylae Surf Forecast
/ Cape Town (70 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Thermopylae surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Tuesday 12 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Thermopylae surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Thermopylae sea temperature is
15.7° C
(Which is 1.5°C colder than average for this time of year)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Thermopylae this week:
The surf forecast for Thermopylae over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 13) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 2.0m and 11s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Thermopylae in the next 16 days are 3.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 13) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 6s period and expected on Saturday (May 16) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 13th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Wed 13th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 13th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Thermopylae over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue afternoon, min 13°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 12 | Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
W 12 | W 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 14 | S 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SSE 11 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SE 8 | |
2986 | 2165 | 2739 | 2860 | 1900 | 1354 | 743 | 573 | 1895 | 1744 | 1710 | 1083 | 763 | 587 | 494 | 850 | 965 | 928 | 889 | 634 | 579 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
on | on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | |
High Tide | 00:16AM1.62m | 12:52PM1.52m | 1:03AM1.73m | 1:37PM1.63m | 1:47AM1.82m | 2:20PM1.72m | 2:31AM1.88m | 3:03PM1.77m | 3:15AM1.89m | 3:47PM1.79m | 4:00AM1.85m | 4:33PM1.77m | 4:47AM1.77m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:01PM0.63m | 6:44AM0.47m | 6:49PM0.53m | 7:27AM0.35m | 7:35PM0.44m | 8:09AM0.27m | 8:19PM0.37m | 8:51AM0.21m | 9:03PM0.34m | 9:34AM0.21m | 9:49PM0.35m | 10:18AM0.24m | 10:37PM0.40m | 11:04AM0.32m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:28 | — | — | 7:30 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:31 | — | — | 7:33 | — | — | 7:33 |
 | 5:55 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:53 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | 5:51 |
2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
15 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 17 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | WSW 13 | S 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | SSE 8 |
 kJ | 2986 | 2165 | 2739 | 2860 | 1900 | 1354 | 743 | 573 | 1895 | 1744 | 1632 | 1083 | 722 | 587 | 333 | 850 | 965 | 928 | 889 | 634 | 237 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | — | W 12 | W 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | SW 11 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | S 12 | WSW 13 | S 12 | WSW 15 | S 11 | SSE 13 | S 10 | SSE 12 | S 12 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 2670 | — | 1517 | 1165 | 737 | 593 | 655 | 433 | 308 | 1527 | 1710 | 989 | 763 | 214 | 279 | 112 | 34 | 50 | 28 | 11 | 499 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NW 9 | — | — | — | W 20 | WSW 18 | SW 18 | S 14 | WSW 15 | — | — | — | — | W 20 | — | — | S 14 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 323 | — | — | — | 8 | 61 | 80 | 383 | 566 | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | W 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 4 | SE 6 | SE 6 | SE 7 | SSE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 6 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SE 8 |
| kJ | — | 2000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | 163 | 210 | 248 | 116 | 494 | 119 | 154 | 169 | 261 | 209 | 579 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 26 | 139 | 138 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 Thermopylae 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 Thermopylae Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Thermopylae provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Thermopylae can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Thermopylae 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 (Thermopylae) 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 Thermopylae 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 Thermopylae, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 8 km (5 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 11 km (7 miles) away, Bellville, Atlantis and Kayamnandi.
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