Staying Home Sucks, home
View of Atlantic Ocean from Beta Beach in Bakoven, Cape Town
Bakoven. Photo: Upjav, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Bakoven

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

35Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 39 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 shollow
Energy
369kJ
Wind
SSE 13 kn
Temp
22°C

Tue 3 · 56 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 shollow
Energy
184kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 64 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 shollow
Energy
219kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 smushy
Energy
162kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
623kJ
Wind
NW 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 shollow
Energy
74kJ
Wind
SSE 7 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
368kJ
Wind
SE 11 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 239, poor
  3. Tue 356, fair
  4. Wed 464, good
  5. Thu 511, too small
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 711, too small
  8. Sun 812, poor
  9. Mon 937, poor
  10. Tue 1024, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 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.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Bakoven, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big8 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)965kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots22°C
Mon 2Nov39, poor5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.)369kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots22°C
Tue 3Nov56, fair4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)184kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot25°C
Wed 4Nov64, good4 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.)219kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small2 ft12 smushy4 ft at break (est.)162kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big8 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)623kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov11, too small3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.)74kJwind from the south-south-east, 7 knots18°C
Sun 8Nov12, poor5 ft8 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)368kJwind from the south-east, 11 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov37, poor3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)113kJwind from the east, 2 knots, offshore23°C
Tue 10Nov24, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the west-north-west, 7 knots20°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 01:19 −0.4 mHigh 07:47 +0.4 mLow 14:13 −0.3 mHigh 20:26 +0.3 m
  • 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

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

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.

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.

Photos of Bakoven

Blue Rocky Coast
Near Bakoven. Photo: Rad Dougall, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bakoven, Cape Town, 8005, South Africa - panoramio
Photo: landagent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Look Camp Bay From Table Mountain - panoramio (2)
Photo: landagent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Bakoven

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

The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). 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, 4.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 17 surf spots and 2 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 
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

Camps Bay

2 min by car · 147 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 147 places to stay in Camps Bay · Booking.com

About Camps Bay 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 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

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