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Van Riebeek Surf Forecast
/ Cape Town (70 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Van Riebeek surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 am Thursday 21 May 2026 SASTForecast 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
16.3° C
(Which is slightly cooler than normal)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 (May 21) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 19s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 12s. 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 3.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (May 27) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore 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 (May 21) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 21st May) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 19s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 24th May) | 7ft (2.2m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 27th May) | 10ft (3.0m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Van Riebeek over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 19°C on Sat afternoon, min 14°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun afternoon, min 15°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | Tuesday 26 | Wednesday 27 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SW 13 | SW 20 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | SW 16 | |
138 | 116 | 258 | 322 | 427 | 676 | 802 | 346 | 951 | 701 | 804 | 2008 | 1944 | 2981 | 1999 | 1435 | 904 | 1803 | 1915 | 4703 | 4073 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-off | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | |
High Tide | 7:13PM1.32m | 7:39AM1.18m | 8:23PM1.27m | 8:58AM1.10m | 9:38PM1.25m | 10:20AM1.08m | 10:47PM1.27m | 11:29AM1.11m | 11:43PM1.30m | 12:24PM1.16m | 00:30AM1.33m | 1:07PM1.22m | 1:10AM1.35m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:48PM0.29m | 1:34AM0.40m | 1:52PM0.39m | 2:55AM0.45m | 3:06PM0.46m | 4:17AM0.44m | 4:22PM0.48m | 5:26AM0.40m | 5:28PM0.47m | 6:20AM0.35m | 6:22PM0.44m | 7:02AM0.29m | 7:06PM0.40m | ||||||||
 | |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | |
 | 7:33 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:35 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — | 7:37 | — | — |
 | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 15 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 8 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 12 | WSW 13 | WSW 13 | WSW 16 | SW 16 |
 kJ | 138 | 116 | 128 | 322 | 427 | 676 | 802 | 125 | 951 | 701 | 804 | 2008 | 1944 | 2981 | 1999 | 1435 | 904 | 1803 | 1915 | 4703 | 4073 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | S 7 | SW 18 | SW 11 | SSW 6 | SSW 6 | SW 16 | SW 11 | S 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | S 11 | S 4 | SSE 10 | — | — | WSW 15 | — | SW 18 | — | — |
| kJ | 36 | 23 | 258 | 115 | 38 | 34 | 94 | 217 | 3 | 219 | 271 | 2 | 9 | 10 | — | — | 584 | — | 719 | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 11 | SW 20 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | WSW 11 | — | SW 16 | SW 14 | — | S 12 | S 12 | — | S 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 12 | 98 | 15 | 17 | 99 | — | 94 | 346 | — | 3 | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 2 | NW 3 | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 6 | — | — | S 3 | S 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 43 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 7 |
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 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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