Beach forecast for Retreat
Today, Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · local time (GMT+2) · Western Cape, South Africa Today, Wed, Oct 28 · GMT+2- Swimming
- Calm · 2.9 ft
- Water
- 63 °F · cold
- Max UV
- 11 · SPF 50
- Wind
- 11 mph
Today, Wednesday, October 28, it's a fair beach day in Retreat (6/10). The best hours are from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm: sunshine, pleasant temperatures and little wind, though with very high UV. Today is the best day of the week.
Beach forecast for the next 7 days
| Day | Rating | Best hours | Swimming | Water | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 6Fair beach day | 9:00 am–2:00 pm3:00–5:00 pm | Calm · 2.9 ft | 63 °F | 11 |
| Thu 29 | 5Fair beach day | 10:00 am–3:00 pm | Use care · 6.8 ft | 63 °F | 11 |
| Fri 30 | 3Poor beach day | No good window | Use care · 5.2 ft | 63 °F | 10 |
| Sat 31 | 5Fair beach day | 1:00–4:00 pm | Use care · 5.0 ft | 63 °F | 10 |
| Sun 1 | 1Not a beach day | No good window | Use care · 6.0 ft | 63 °F | 10 |
| Mon 2 | 1Not a beach day | No good window | Use care · 4.7 ft | 63 °F | — |
| Tue 3 | 4Poor beach day | No good window | Use care · 4.2 ft | 64 °F | — |
Each rating comes from sun, temperature, rain, wind, waves, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide.
Today in detail
2 good hours- Mostly sunny
- Feels like 78 °F: pleasant
- Onshore breeze (9 mph)
- Calm for swimming: 2.9 ft waves; moderate rip current risk
- UV 11 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen
- Water at 63 °F (cold)
Today, hour by hour
- Swimming Calm · 2.9 ft
2.9 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
- Water 63 °F
Cold: ease in slowly.
- Sun & sunscreen UV 11 · SPF 50
Max UV 11 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, reapplied every 2 hours. Seek shade 11:00 am–3:00 pm (very high UV).
- Wind 11 mph
Onshore breeze (11 mph).
- Tide & sand
We don't show the tide for Retreat, so it doesn't count in the rating.
The best window, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, brings sunshine, pleasant temperatures and little wind, though with very high UV. 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm is good too, with pleasant temperatures and little wind.
We don't have data on jellyfish, sargassum or beach closures: ask the lifeguard or check with the local beach authority.
Today, hour by hour
| Time | Rating | Sky | Feels like | Wind | Waves | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 am | 2 | Mainly clear | 61 °F | 6 mph | 2.5 ft | 1 |
| 8:00 am | 3 | Mainly clear | 63 °F | 7 mph | 2.5 ft | 2 |
| 9:00 am | 6 | Clear sky | 66 °F | 8 mph | 2.6 ft | 4 |
| 10:00 am | 6 | Clear sky | 70 °F | 9 mph | 2.6 ft | 7 |
| 11:00 am | 6 | Clear sky | 73 °F | 9 mph | 2.6 ft | 9 |
| 12:00 pm | 6 | Mainly clear | 76 °F | 9 mph | 2.8 ft | 11 |
| 1:00 pm | 5 | Partly cloudy | 78 °F | 9 mph | 2.9 ft | 10 |
| 2:00 pm | 4 | Overcast | 79 °F | 9 mph | 3.0 ft | 9 |
| 3:00 pm | 6 | Partly cloudy | 77 °F | 9 mph | 3.2 ft | 6 |
| 4:00 pm | 6 | Mainly clear | 73 °F | 10 mph | 3.5 ft | 4 |
| 5:00 pm | 3 | Clear sky | 69 °F | 11 mph | 3.7 ft | 2 |
| 6:00 pm | 2 | Clear sky | 67 °F | 11 mph | 3.9 ft | 0 |
Beach hours only: from one hour after sunrise to half an hour before sunset.
Beaches near Retreat
Map: OpenFreeMap · © OpenMapTiles · © OpenStreetMap contributors
- Muizenberg Beach 3.6 mi · SE
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Parking
- St James Beach 4.5 mi · S
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Danger Beach 4.7 mi · S
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Dalebrook Beach 5.0 mi · S
- Parking
- Kalk Bay Beach 5.3 mi · S
- Restrooms
- Parking
- Fish Hoek Beach 6.1 mi · S
- Lifeguard
- Restrooms
- Parking
Named beaches within 6.2 mi, nearest first. Amenities from OpenStreetMap: some may be missing or out of date. View on OpenStreetMap · Add or fix on OpenStreetMap
Beaches and amenities: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Webcams near Retreat
Webcams provided by windy.com — add a webcam
How we rate a beach day
We rate every beach hour from 0 to 10 with simple, fixed rules:
- Adds: sunshine (up to 3 points, fewer with more clouds), warmth (up to 4, from the feels-like temperature; ideal between 81 °F and 91 °F), a calm sea (1), water at 70 °F or warmer (1; from 64 °F, half) and low or mid tide (1: more sand). Anything without data is left out and the rest is scaled to 10.
- Takes away: cold (feels-like below 64 °F, 1 to 4 points), rain (half a point if likely, up to 6 if it rains; thunderstorms, 8), wind from force 4, about 12 mph (1 to 6 points; half a point more if offshore, which blows inflatables out to sea, or onshore, which churns the water), waves (1 to swim with care, 4 if dangerous, 1 more for high rip current risk), very high UV (half a point; extreme, 1), water below 59 °F (1) and spring high tides (1: little sand left).
- Swimming: calm, use care (waves from 2.6 ft, or long swell) or dangerous (from 6.6 ft, or 4.9 ft with a long period), based on how much of the wave reaches this shore given the way it faces. In the U.S., today's and tomorrow's rip current risk comes from the National Weather Service surf zone forecast when it issues one; otherwise we estimate it from the waves.
- Best windows: runs of 2 to 5 hours rated 4 or more and close to the best hour, at least one hour apart.
- Day rating: the average of the best window; a 2-hour window keeps 85% of it and a 3-hour window 95%.
Today, in the best window: sun 2.4 of 3, warmth 2 of 4, calm sea 1 of 1 and water 0 of 1; minus UV 0.3.
It's a guide, not a guarantee: weather changes and every beach is different. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
Questions about the beach in Retreat
Is it a beach day in Retreat today?
A fair beach day: 6/10. Best from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm, with sunshine, pleasant temperatures and little wind, though with very high UV.
What are the swimming conditions in Retreat today?
2.9 ft waves: calm for swimming. Moderate rip current risk. Always follow the lifeguard's flags.
How warm is the water in Retreat?
About 63 °F today: cold. That's the sea surface temperature offshore; it can differ a little at the shoreline.
How much sun protection do I need in Retreat today?
UV reaches 11 (very high): SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, and seek shade from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
What about tomorrow? Will it be a beach day in Retreat?
Tomorrow, Thursday, October 29: a fair beach day (5/10), best from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm.
What beaches are near Retreat?
Muizenberg Beach (3.6 mi), St James Beach (4.5 mi), Danger Beach (4.7 mi), Dalebrook Beach (5.0 mi) and Kalk Bay Beach (5.3 mi). See below for amenities and water quality.
Are there jellyfish or sargassum today?
We don't know: there's no open data on jellyfish, sargassum or closures for each beach. Ask the lifeguard, check the flags or the local beach authority's website.
How is the rating worked out?
From the hourly forecast: sun and clouds, feels-like temperature, rain, wind (and whether it blows onshore or offshore), waves and their period, UV, water temperature and, where there is one, the tide. Each factor adds or takes away a fixed number of points and the rating sums them up out of 10.
More about Retreat today
Learn more
Our own calculation, using the Open-Meteo forecast (ECMWF, NOAA GFS, Météo-France, Copernicus Marine and CAMS, CC BY 4.0) and the sun from astronomy-engine.