Van Riebeek Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(Cape Town, South Africa)

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Van Riebeek Surf Guide

Van Riebeek in Western Cape is an exposed beach break that does not work very often. Summer offers the best conditions for surfing. Works best in offshore winds from the northeast. Tends to receive distant groundswells and the best swell direction is from the west southwest. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights. Unlikely to be too crowded, even when the surf is up. Take care of the strong rips here.

Van Riebeek Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach	4	inconsistent	15.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Van Riebeek:

The best conditions reported for surf at Van Riebeek occur when a West-southwest swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northeast.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Van Riebeek (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Van Riebeek with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 31% of the time in June while 67% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 2% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

31%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

67%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Van Riebeek Location Map

Interactive Van Riebeek surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The nearest passenger airport to Van Riebeek is Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in South Africa, which is 33 km (20 miles) away (directly). The second closest airport to Van Riebeek is Oudtshoorn Airport (DUH), also in South Africa, 347 km (216 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Van Riebeek Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 6 May 2026, 15:21 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 06
ft, °F	11AM	2PM	5PM	8PM
Wave (m)	S	S	S	S
Period (s)	10	10	10	9
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Van Riebeek look like?

Latest photos from Van Riebeek. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: John Rattey

Tides at Van Riebeek

Current tide and informaton

For Beach Road, 4 km from Van Riebeek.

Next High Water: 05:57pm | 1.19m

Next Low Water: 11:56pm | 0.5m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Van Riebeek Sea Temperature

The water temperature (15.9 °C) at Van Riebeek is quite cool. If the sun shines as we have forecast, it should feel warm enough to surf in a good spring wetsuit. Effective windchill factor of (16.0 °C) will make the air and water feel about the same temperature.

Today, many surfers would wear a spring wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 15.9°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite