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Scarborough Surf Report

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SURF RATING
FIRING
★★★★★
Great conditions: overhead waves on moderate-period swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.
WAVE
2.5 m
SWELL
2.4m @ 9s
WIND
17 km/h Offshore
WATER
13.6°C

★★★★★

Great conditions: overhead waves on moderate-period swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.

Swell: 2.4 m @ 9 s (SW)

Wave height: 2.5 m

Wind: 17 km/h E Offshore

Sea temp: 13.6 °C · Wetsuit: 5/4 mm wetsuit, booties + gloves

Best window today: 09:00–11:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
75% match
Today: a classic scarborough day
🌊 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

Offshore windwave direction
  • Mid-period SW swell at 9s is wrapping into the bank
  • 17 km/h offshore wind is grooming it clean
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Scarborough surf mission card
Save or screenshot, then send it to your crew on WhatsApp.

🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.8m overhead · 24km/h Cross01:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.8m overhead · 24km/h Offshore02:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 2.7m overhead · 13km/h Offshore03:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.7m overhead · 4km/h Cross04:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 4km/h Cross05:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 2.6m overhead · 7km/h Offshore06:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 17km/h Offshore07:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 20km/h Offshore08:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 2.4m overhead · 16km/h Offshore09:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 2.4m overhead · 7km/h Offshore10:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 14km/h Cross11:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.5m overhead · 26km/h Cross12:00 — Marginal (★★) · 2.8m overhead · 34km/h Cross13:00 — Fun (★★★) · 3.2m well overhead · 56km/h Cross14:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 44km/h Cross15:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 43km/h Cross16:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 43km/h Cross17:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 43km/h Cross18:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 43km/h Cross19:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 45km/h Cross20:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.6m well overhead · 46km/h Cross21:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.7m well overhead · 48km/h Cross22:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.7m well overhead · 47km/h Cross23:00 — Marginal (★★) · 3.8m well overhead · 49km/h Crossnow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
epic   clean   fun   marginal   flat   dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Bigger shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
5/4 mm wetsuit, booties + gloves
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
🧢 Bring
Boots & hood
🌅Dawn window:Best quality, coolest — usually the quietest crowd
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
FriSatSunMonTue0.0m2.0m4.0m02856now
wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Thu 3 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 3.6 m 8 s SSW 34 km/h Cross
Fri 4 Sep ★★☆☆☆ 3.8 m 8 s SSW 48 km/h Cross
Sat 5 Sep ★★★☆☆ 3.1 m 9 s SSW 45 km/h Offshore
Sun 6 Sep ★★★★☆ 2.5 m 11 s S 23 km/h Offshore
Mon 7 Sep ★★★★☆ 2.4 m 11 s SSW 18 km/h Cross
Tue 8 Sep ★★★★☆ 1.7 m 9 s SW 14 km/h Cross
Wed 9 Sep ★★★☆☆ 1.2 m 9 s SW 14 km/h Cross

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 06:58L 12:52H 19:13now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 07:00 · Sunset 18:30 · Peak UV 5

Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 30+, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.

Shop SPF 30+ sunscreen →

Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Thu, 03 Sep 2026 06:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Scarborough

Crayonised aerial map of Scarborough
Beach break
Reef & rocks
Rip
PeakHazard rocksRip current

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 Scarborough — Surf Local Knowledge

Scarborough is a windswept village near the south-western tip of the Peninsula, just outside the Cape Point reserve and about 45 minutes from Cape Town. Its long, wild beach and the rocky Misty Cliffs alongside give it a remote, unspoilt feel.

The surf is an exposed beach break that needs the right conditions to work, offering punchy peaks over sand when a south-west swell lines up with light or south-east offshore winds. It suits intermediate and experienced surfers and rarely gets crowded, but it is exposed to strong wind, cold Atlantic water, rip currents and rocks. Neighbouring Misty Cliffs and the Kommetjie breaks are the usual nearby alternatives.

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