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Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Baby J

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

30Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 12 kn (21 km/h)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 24 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
414kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 26 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
234kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 23 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
165kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
172kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 23 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
523kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 smushy
Energy
466kJ
Wind
S 9 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 46 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
528kJ
Wind
E 12 kn
Temp
21°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 160, good
  2. Mon 224, too small
  3. Tue 326, too small
  4. Wed 423, too small
  5. Thu 511, too small
  6. Fri 623, poor
  7. Sat 737, poor
  8. Sun 846, fair
  9. Mon 914, too small
  10. Tue 107, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Apr1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Baby J, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov60, good7 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)797kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov24, too small6 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)414kJwind from the east, 6 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov26, too small4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)234kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov23, too small4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)165kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small3 ft10 shollow5 ft at break (est.)172kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov23, poor7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)523kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov37, poor6 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)466kJwind from the south, 9 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov46, fair6 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)528kJwind from the east, 12 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov14, too small3 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.)138kJwind from the south-west, 11 knots18°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

  • Sun 1 NovLow 01:12 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:08 −0.3 mHigh 20:22 +0.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:45 −0.3 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 16:02 −0.3 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:45 +0.5 mLow 17:28 −0.5 mHigh 23:30 +0.4 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 and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Baby J

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hermanus, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$858–US$1,780
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$161–US$275
Food7 days eating outabout US$147–US$268
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout 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

Closest

Hawston

6 min by car

about US$60/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Hawston · Booking.com

About Hawston its beds, food and every spot near it

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 27h 30m

About 27h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 40m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.