South Africa surf forecast

Surfing in South Africa

South Africa has nearly 3,000 km of coastline, from the cold Atlantic West Coast round the Cape to the subtropical Indian Ocean shores of KwaZulu-Natal. Most swell comes from Southern Ocean storms, so the main season runs from about March to September, when southern hemisphere winter lows send long-period south-westerly groundswell up the coast.

On the West Coast, Elands Bay is a long, fast left-hand point break on a remote stretch north of Cape Town, best for intermediate and advanced surfers. Cape Town itself offers two sides of the peninsula: exposed, cold Atlantic breaks such as Kommetjie and the big-wave reef at Dungeons, and the gentler beaches of False Bay, including Muizenberg, often called the home of surfing in South Africa.

In the Eastern Cape, Jeffreys Bay is one of the world's best-known right-hand point breaks. Its Supertubes section runs fast and hollow over rock and works best on a clean south-west swell with west-south-west offshore winds, and is most reliable in winter. It is a wave for experienced surfers.

Further east, Durban's beaches face east into the Indian Ocean, with warmer water and sand-bottomed breaks. Winter brings the most consistent surf, and summer cyclone swells can also produce powerful waves. Durban's town beaches are protected by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board's nets and drumlines.

Water temperature rises steadily from west to east: cold water and thick wetsuits on the Atlantic coast, roughly 15 to 21°C around Jeffreys Bay, and the warmest conditions in KwaZulu-Natal. International access is mainly through Cape Town and Johannesburg airports. Rocks, strong currents and sharks are real hazards along much of the coast, so follow local advice and beach flags.