Surf Forecasts:
Van Riebeek surf forecast from 20 Oct 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 20 Oct, 8PM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 21 Oct, 8AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 12s period, WSW swell with 3,675 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 20 Oct, 5AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 11s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Van Riebeek this week:
The surf forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Oct 20) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 11s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Van Riebeek in the next 16 days are 3.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Oct 21) 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 0.8m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Oct 20) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 20th Oct) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 20th Oct) | 7ft (2.1m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Wed 21st Oct) | 11ft (3.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed afternoon, min 12°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the N on Tue night, light winds from the SSE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Fri morning, fresh winds from the S by Sun afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 20 | Wednesday 21 | Thursday 22 | Friday 23 | Saturday 24 | Sunday 25 | Monday 26 | |||||||||||||||
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 11 | SW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | S 5 | S 6 | WSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 629 | 802 | 2224 | 3124 | 2229 | 1052 | 846 | 770 | 836 | 1316 | 1080 | 673 | 333 | 157 | 98 | 78 | 172 | 242 | 454 | 340 | 194 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | on | on | cross-off | on | on | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 11:23AM1.09m | 11:45PM1.06m | 12:08PM1.22m | 00:30AM1.18m | 12:44PM1.35m | 1:07AM1.29m | 1:17PM1.47m | 1:42AM1.40m | 1:51PM1.58m | 2:17AM1.49m | 2:26PM1.65m | 2:54AM1.54m | 3:03PM1.68m | 3:31AM1.55m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:52PM0.56m | 5:55AM0.49m | 6:32PM0.42m | 6:34AM0.39m | 7:06PM0.29m | 7:09AM0.29m | 7:38PM0.16m | 7:43AM0.20m | 8:11PM0.05m | 8:17AM0.13m | 8:45PM-0.03m | 8:54AM0.09m | 9:22PM-0.05m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |
 | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — |
 | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:02 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SW 10 | SW 9 | W 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 11 | S 6 |
| kJ | 629 | 802 | 2224 | 3124 | 2229 | 1052 | 846 | 770 | 836 | 1316 | 1080 | 673 | 333 | 157 | 98 | 41 | 33 | 242 | 454 | 340 | 92 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | W 9 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | WSW 11 | WSW 13 | W 11 | W 12 | WSW 11 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 442 | 394 | 335 | 223 | 96 | 65 | 40 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 41 | 59 | 2 | 3 | 194 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 13 | W 16 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | W 14 | SW 16 | — | — | SW 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 5 | 21 | 19 | 59 | 49 | 48 | 16 | 10 | — | — | 132 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NW 3 | N 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | S 5 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SE 6 |
| kJ | — | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21 | 67 | 78 | 172 | 185 | 181 | 266 | 75 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 39 | 39 | 198 | 39 | 47 | 39 | 39 | 39 | 0 | 35 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 43 | 1 | 459 | 403 | 1 | 23 | 126 | 1 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Cape Town | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Van Riebeek 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 Van Riebeek Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Van Riebeek provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Van Riebeek can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Van Riebeek 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 (Van Riebeek) 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 Van Riebeek 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.
Van Riebeek is 13 km (8 miles) from the city of Robben Island. If you plan a holiday in Cape Town, look for hotels and other accommodation in Robben Island. Robben Island has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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