I found the following writeup by Spike on the Wavescapes.co.za website. You will quickly work out that we’re in for a bit of havoc this weekend, here in the Fairest Cape.

Forecast – Last Update
(Spike, Friday 29 August)

Well, the yo yo of the models continues. Upgrade, downgrade, upgrade, downgrade. Either way, a gigantic flame ball of a storm as big as the lower half of Africa, comprising no less than eight countries, is forming below South Africa. The fetch area is as big as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho combined, and goes down to 942 minibars at the epi-centre. Epic.

Building on Friday, it rams up from a SW to SSW direction, hitting the SW Cape (Columbine to Agulhas) with galeforce 40kts NW wind from 2-3pm Saturday, strong winds right into Namaqualand. Batten down the hatches, it’s going to get ugly. By Saturday afternoon, the swell is becoming giant from a long 40-50 kt fetch surging in from behind, with swell in Cape Town going huge 25-35 feet at a wild and crazy mixture of sizes and shapes, with a lot of SW in the direction. Chaos. However, the storm is hitting diagonally across the SW Cape, and the E Cape is still light Westerly on Saturday, the first signs of the storm coming in from the West late on Saturday in the form of strong NW devils’ winds.

In Cape Town, the wind abates to near gale Saturday afternoon, then smashes through galeforce 40 kts SW in the evening, the second part of the storm furiously assaulting the coastline Columbine to Agulhas overnight into Sunday, when howling NW devils winds overnight Saturday in the S to E Cape go strong to galeforce SW, spreading past EL later. While the swell East of Agulhas is building on Saturday, it only peaks Sunday afternoon and especially Monday, with HUGE 40-50 foot seas everywhere. Giant surf due to a very SSW angle, perfectly positioned to blast past headlands and points, to surge into all manner of nook and cranny.

Sunday at dawn, it is huge between Cape Columbine and PE. Tafelberg will be 40 feet but messy with residually fresh SW winds. Go Twiggy and other tow mulletjies ! The points in the E Cape get bigger and bigger all day Sunday, becoming GIANT, with all but the most extreme-angled bays completely out of control 15-25 feet, and J-Bay likely to be a crazy 10-15 foot PLUS.

Early Sunday, NW prefrontal winds hammer the Wild Coast, rapidly going strong to galeforce SW while SW gales are peaking at 45 kts along the Southern to E Cape. The buster cracks up the coast, smashing into KZN on Sunday afternoon to evening at less strength than the Cape. An extra boost in the centre of the storm to hurricane force on Saturday night deep in the south is responsible for a sudden surge in period to 18 seconds, which occurs Monday along the Southern to E Cape, when the swell is ridiculous – one of the most powerful long range swells and it lasts right through to Thursday. In fact Tuesday and Wednesday could be off the charts with such potent period packing this long-winded pulse.

[more here]

So, basically, we’re fucked.

If you’re a surfer, or anyone who wants to know what is going on out in the waves, check out Wavescapes.co.za – action packed with info, videos, pics etc.

Mondo!

[thanks jase]