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Surf Forecasts:
Witsands surfForecast / Cape Town / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 am Thursday 30 Apr 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Witsands surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Witsands sea temperature is
18.4° C
(Which is slightly warmer than usual)Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Witsands this week:
The surf forecast for Witsands over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 05) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 1.9m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Witsands in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 05) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.9m 6s period and expected on Saturday (May 02) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Tue 5th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Tue 5th May) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 5th May) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Witsands over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Very mild (max 17°C on Fri afternoon, min 15°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Thu night, strong winds from the N by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 18mm), heaviest on Sun night. Very mild (max 18°C on Sun morning, min 14°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NW on Mon afternoon, light winds from the NNE by Tue afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 1 | Saturday 2 | Sunday 3 | Monday 4 | Tuesday 5 | Wednesday 6 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WSW 13 | W 13 | W 13 | W 12 | W 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 | |
508 | 4285 | 2856 | 2140 | 1883 | 2368 | 1731 | 1201 | 890 | 630 | 594 | 1630 | 1922 | 2151 | 1784 | 3055 | 2377 | 4022 | 3529 | 2641 | 2717 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | |
High Tide | 2:42PM1.40m | 2:47AM1.51m | 3:12PM1.42m | 3:17AM1.49m | 3:42PM1.41m | 3:47AM1.45m | 4:12PM1.38m | 4:18AM1.40m | 4:43PM1.32m | 4:50AM1.32m | 5:17PM1.26m | 5:23AM1.24m | 5:56PM1.19m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:38AM0.12m | 8:43PM0.23m | 9:07AM0.11m | 9:13PM0.22m | 9:35AM0.12m | 9:43PM0.24m | 10:04AM0.16m | 10:13PM0.28m | 10:33AM0.22m | 10:44PM0.34m | 11:04AM0.29m | 11:17PM0.41m | 11:38AM0.36m | 11:55PM0.50m | |||||||
 |  |  | | |  |  | |  | | |  | | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:20 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — |
 | — | 6:06 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:04 | — | — | 6:02 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | |
Temp °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
11 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 13 | 13 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 12 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | W 11 | W 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | W 12 | W 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 13 |
 kJ | 347 | 4285 | 2856 | 2140 | 1883 | 2368 | 1731 | 1201 | 890 | 630 | 550 | 1630 | 198 | 192 | 1784 | 3055 | 2377 | 4022 | 3529 | 2641 | 2717 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 10 | SSE 12 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | S 14 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | WSW 15 | WSW 14 | S 13 | S 15 | SE 13 | WSW 16 | SSW 11 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 12 | WSW 14 | WSW 13 |
| kJ | 270 | 211 | 59 | 11 | 4 | 142 | 157 | 191 | 174 | 627 | 594 | 171 | 38 | 6 | 256 | 308 | 1518 | 589 | 233 | 328 | 269 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | — | — | — | SSE 10 | S 12 | SSE 14 | WSW 18 | WSW 16 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SE 13 | SSE 10 | SSW 11 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WSW 11 | WSW 16 |
| kJ | 508 | — | — | — | 10 | 45 | 69 | 126 | 412 | 78 | 96 | 48 | 7 | 9 | 128 | 53 | 80 | 261 | 309 | 88 | 102 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 4 | — | — | NNW 5 | NW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | NNW 6 | — | — | NNW 4 | NNW 5 | W 13 | W 13 | N 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 14 | — | — | 71 | 328 | 186 | 237 | 114 | — | — | 31 | 157 | 1922 | 2151 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 6 | 6 | 7 | 181 | 275 | 206 | 223 | 206 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 30 | 275 | 346 | 30 | 30 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 6 |
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 Witsands 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 Witsands Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Witsands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Witsands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Witsands 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 (Witsands) 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 Witsands 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Cape Town? If you are looking for accommodation near Witsands, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Cape Town, consider staying in Cape Town which is 29 km (18 miles) away. Other places in and around Cape Town where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Bellville which is 40 km (25 miles) away, Robben Island, Kayamnandi and Stellenbosch.
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