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Hout Bay Surf Report

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SURF RATING
FAIR
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.
WAVE
1.8 m
SWELL
1.8m @ 8s
WIND
9 km/h Cross-shore
WATER
15.9°C

★★★☆☆

Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.

Swell: 1.8 m @ 8 s (WSW)

Wave height: 1.8 m

Wind: 9 km/h SSE Cross-shore

Sea temp: 15.9 °C · Wetsuit: 4/3 mm wetsuit + booties

Best window today: 07:00–09:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
46% match
Today: rideable but not classic
🌊 Wave type
Beach break
🧭 Best swell
WSW groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
ENE offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Beginner-friendly on the smaller days
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.

🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now

Cross-shore windwave direction
  • Short, wind-driven WSW swell at 8s is wrapping into the bank
  • 9 km/h cross-shore wind gives some texture
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Hout Bay surf mission card
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🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 1km/h Onshore01:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 2km/h Onshore02:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 3km/h Onshore03:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 3km/h Onshore04:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 3km/h Onshore05:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 3km/h Onshore06:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 2km/h Onshore07:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 2km/h Onshore08:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 5km/h Onshore09:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 7km/h Onshore10:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 8km/h Onshore11:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 11km/h Onshore12:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore13:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore14:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 15km/h Onshore15:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 15km/h Onshore16:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 15km/h Onshore17:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore18:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 13km/h Onshore19:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 9km/h Onshore20:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 9km/h Cross21:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 9km/h Cross22:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Cross23:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Crossnow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
4/3 mm wetsuit + booties
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen (UV very high)
🧢 Bring
Boots & hood
🌙Off-hours:Low light — likely quiet
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
WedThuFriSatSun0.0m1.6m3.2m01735now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Tue 13 Oct ★★☆☆☆ 2.0 m 7 s WSW 14 km/h Onshore
Wed 14 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.6 m 9 s WSW 23 km/h Cross
Thu 15 Oct ★★★☆☆ 3.2 m 10 s WSW 30 km/h Cross
Fri 16 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.5 m 8 s WSW 17 km/h Cross
Sat 17 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.9 m 8 s WSW 22 km/h Cross
Sun 18 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.6 m 9 s SW 23 km/h Cross
Mon 19 Oct ★★★☆☆ 2.3 m 9 s SW 12 km/h Onshore

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00H 04:25L 10:21H 16:34L 22:44now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 06:06 · Sunset 18:59 · Peak UV 8

Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50+, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.

Shop SPF 50+ sunscreen →

Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Tue, 13 Oct 2026 21:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Hout Bay

Crayonised aerial map of Hout Bay
Beach break
Peak

Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.

About Hout Bay — Surf Local Knowledge

Hout Bay is a harbour town on the Atlantic side of the Peninsula, ringed by mountains and guarded by the towering Sentinel peak. Off that headland lies Dungeons, South Africa's most famous big-wave spot, about a kilometre offshore.

Dungeons is a heavy, deep-water reef break that only comes alive on large, long-period west to south-west groundswells, holding waves well over 10 metres. It is strictly a tow and paddle arena for elite big-wave surfers, reached by boat from the harbour, and is best on light northerly winds and a lower tide. The hazards are extreme: huge, cold, powerful surf, deep reef, strong currents and sharks. Ordinary surfers head instead to the Peninsula's gentler breaks.

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