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Surf Forecasts:

Van Riebeek surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa

information circle12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Monday 12 Jan 2026 SAST
Forecast update in hr  min  s Forecast update imminent
Van Riebeek surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Van Riebeek sea temperature is
13.9° C
 (Which is 5.6°C colder than average for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Van Riebeek this week:

The surf forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jan 14) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Van Riebeek in the next 12 days are 4.0m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jan 18) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Wed 14th Jan)5ft (1.6m) 11s
Best Surf 8PM (Wed 14th Jan)7.5ft (2.3m) 14s
Most Powerful 8AM (Sun 18th Jan)13ft (4.0m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 12 days.

Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent 
12 DaysHourly
Print Table

Short Range Forecast Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Thu morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 3-6 Weather Summary Light rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 20°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Fri afternoon, light winds from the WNW by Sat night).

Mon
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
PMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAMPMNightAM
Rating
(10 max)
0
1
0
0
2
1
1
0
0
0
!
0
0
0
0
0
!
!
0
!
!
Swell
Height Map
See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)
2
SW
1.7
SW
1.6
SW
1.7
SW
1.7
SW
1.5
SW
1.7
SW
3
SW
3
SSW
3
SSW
2.4
SSW
1.9
S
1.7
S
0.9
SW
1.2
SW
1.3
SW
3
SW
3.5
SW
3.5
SW
3
SW
2.4
SSW
Period(s) (?)1312121111111113121010109109101012121212
Wave
Graph
(?)Metric surfscale
Energy kJ (?)1339846736726701544726245823411883120268348415425129015843746331324021501
Wind
(km/h)
25
SSW
10
SSE
15
SW
25
SSW
5
S
15
W
20
W
25
SSE
20
SSE
30
S
15
SSE
20
S
35
S
15
SSE
20
SW
20
WSW
10
WNW
20
S
30
S
20
SSE
15
S
Wind State (?)
onshore
cross-onshore
cross-shore
cross-offshore
offshore
glassy
cross-
on		cross-
on		ononcross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		crosscross-
on		cross-
on		cross-
on		ononcrosscross-
on		cross-
on		crosscross-
on
High Tide
/ height (m)
11:23PM
0.97
11:33AM
1.09
12:36AM
1.03
12:38PM
1.14
1:27AM
1.12
1:28PM
1.21
2:07AM
1.21
2:09PM
1.29
2:42AM
1.30
2:45PM
1.36
3:15AM
1.38
3:18PM
1.41
3:46AM
1.45
Low Tide
/ height (m)
5:10PM
0.55
5:20AM
0.64
6:23PM
0.50
6:37AM
0.59
7:16PM
0.43
7:30AM
0.51
7:57PM
0.35
8:11AM
0.43
8:33PM
0.27
8:46AM
0.35
9:04PM
0.19
9:20AM
0.29
9:35PM
0.14
9:52AM
0.24
Mon
12
Tuesday
13
Wednesday
14
Thursday
15
Friday
16
Saturday
17
Sunday
18
Sunrise--5:48--5:48--5:50--5:50--5:52--5:52--5:54
Sunset8:00--8:00--7:59--7:59--7:59--7:59--7:58--
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
clear
Rain (mm)
-------2--------11---
Temp. °C232122222021212017201820201720201919201822
Feels °C (?)211921191719182013161217151217151817151319
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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.

View detailed surf forecast for Van Riebeek at:
surf-forecast.com

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 12 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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