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Brak River
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
45Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 250kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 274kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 258kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 164kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 302kJ
- Wind
- E 18 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 146, fair
- Mon 252, fair
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 534, too small
- Fri 642, poor
- Sat 727, poor
- Sun 87, poor
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1046, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the south, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 250kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 274kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 258kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 164kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, poor | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 7, poor | 5 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 302kJ | wind from the east, 18 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 181kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 23°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 01:22 −0.5 mHigh 07:58 +0.5 mLow 14:12 −0.4 mHigh 20:34 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:53 −0.4 mHigh 09:38 +0.5 mLow 16:16 −0.3 mHigh 22:24 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.4 mHigh 11:13 +0.5 mLow 17:52 −0.5 mHigh 23:51 +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.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Brak River 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Hartenbos 5.8 km away
- Ding-Dangs 7.1 km away
- Dias Beach 8.8 km away
- Grootbrak 9 km away
- Inner Pool 9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Brak River
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (131°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (311°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hartenbos, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car).
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,310–US$2,570 each
about US$1,310–US$2,570 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 GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$871–US$1,810 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,570 |
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
9 min by car · 39 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Hartenbos its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in The Island on Booking.com
16 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Mossel Bay on Booking.com
18 min by car · 79 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 30h 20m
About 30h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → GRJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.