1st Bank
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- NW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 670kJ
- Wind
- NW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 185kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 767kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 186kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, poor
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 463, good
- Thu 514, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 712, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 954, fair
- Tue 1044, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, poor | 6 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 434kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 63, good | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 1 knot | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 14, poor | 3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 670kJ | wind from the north-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 767kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft8 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 186kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 44, poor | 4 ft11 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 379kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 21°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:40 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:24 −0.6 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
1st Bank on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of 1st Bank
More surf near here
5 places
- Cherry Rock 0.3 km away
- Clifton 3rd Beach 0.3 km away
- Clifton 4th Beach 0.5 km away
- Gasworks 1 km away
- Glen Beach 1.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About 1st Bank
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (283°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (103°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cape Town, 3.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 18 surf spots and 4 dive sites.
Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,300–US$2,540 each
about US$1,300–US$2,540 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,300–US$2,540 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
about 5 min by car · 147 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Camps Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cape Town on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 397 places to stay
- Beds in Llandudno on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 44 places to stay
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 40 min by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.