Surf Forecasts:
Van Riebeek surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, SW swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, SW swell with 2,784 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s 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 Thursday (Aug 20) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s. The wind is predicted to be cross-onshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Van Riebeek in the next 16 days are 2.5m 15s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.4m 3s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 27) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 18°C on Fri afternoon, min 11°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed morning, min 12°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2536 | 1513 | 1092 | 850 | 388 | 443 | 515 | 1111 | 1748 | 1297 | 1299 | 859 | 370 | 1053 | 2141 | 1697 | 972 | 700 | 598 | 399 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | on | glassy | cross | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 8:32PM1.04m | 9:49AM0.92m | 10:25PM0.98m | 11:54AM0.96m | 00:06AM1.04m | 12:58PM1.07m | 1:01AM1.13m | 1:36PM1.19m | 1:40AM1.24m | 2:08PM1.31m | 2:13AM1.33m | 2:36PM1.42m | 2:44AM1.41m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:19AM0.62m | 3:53PM0.70m | 5:32AM0.61m | 6:08PM0.66m | 6:46AM0.52m | 7:07PM0.56m | 7:27AM0.41m | 7:45PM0.45m | 7:59AM0.30m | 8:17PM0.34m | 8:27AM0.21m | 8:46PM0.24m | ||||||||
 |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 7:18 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:16 | — | — | 7:15 | — | — | 7:13 | — | — | 7:11 | — | — |
 | 6:19 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:23 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 16 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 18 | 25 | 22 | 27 | 26 | 21 |
Feels °C | 12 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 19 | 24 | 24 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 |
| kJ | 2536 | 1513 | 1092 | 850 | 388 | 443 | 515 | 1111 | 1748 | 1297 | 1299 | 859 | 370 | 1053 | 2141 | 1697 | 972 | 700 | 598 | 399 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | SW 17 | WSW 14 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | — | — | SW 10 | SW 10 | — | — | S 7 | S 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 435 | 317 | 176 | 11 | 394 | 359 | 313 | — | — | 276 | 270 | — | — | 97 | 208 | 167 | 170 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | SSW 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 14 | W 11 | — | — | SSW 13 | SSE 7 | SW 11 | S 14 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 203 | 247 | — | — | 151 | 36 | 19 | 33 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | SSE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 4 | S 5 | S 6 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 7 | — | — | NNW 5 |
| kJ | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 63 | 121 | 108 | 112 | 138 | — | — | 2 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 49 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 39 | 5 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 43 | 100 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 |
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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