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Buffeljags Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 9 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 413kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 271kJ
- Wind
- E 16 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 263kJ
- Wind
- W 26 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 566kJ
- Wind
- WNW 24 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 812kJ
- Wind
- S 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 649kJ
- Wind
- ESE 18 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 153, fair
- Mon 238, too small
- Tue 326, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 57, too small
- Fri 612, poor
- Sat 749, fair
- Sun 831, poor
- Mon 914, too small
- Tue 103, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Expertwho it suits
- Works 3–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jul3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Buffeljags Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 53, fair | 8 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 870kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 38, too small | 6 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 413kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 271kJ | offshorewind from the east, 16 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the east, 9 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 7, too small | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 263kJ | wind from the west, 26 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 12, poor | 7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 566kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 24 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 49, fair | 9 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 812kJ | wind from the south, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 31, poor | 7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 649kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 18 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 112kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the west, 19 knots | 18°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 01:09 −0.5 mHigh 07:44 +0.4 mLow 14:07 −0.3 mHigh 20:24 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:42 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 16:02 −0.4 mHigh 22:09 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:46 +0.5 mLow 17:30 −0.5 mHigh 23:33 +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 May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for expert surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May3of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug2of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 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
Buffeljags Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: 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
- Die Dam 7.7 km away
- Pearly Reef 11.8 km away
- Pearly Beach edit 13.1 km away
- Stinky Pits! 29.6 km away
- De Kelders 30.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Buffeljags Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (222°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (42°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For expert surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pearly Beach.
Water about 18°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$1,300–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: 2 towns
22 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Pearly Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Gansbaai on Booking.com
51 min by car · 28 places to stay
Nearest beds: Pearly Beach, 13 km (about 25 min by car)
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 28h 15m
About 28h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 30m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.