Staying Home Sucks, home
Beach at Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Ossewa, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Captains

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

34Poor 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

Tue 3 · 51 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
164kJ
Wind
S 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 63 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
241kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 smushy
Energy
253kJ
Wind
WNW 14 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
585kJ
Wind
WNW 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 smushy
Energy
211kJ
Wind
SSW 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 ssoft
Energy
836kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 46 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
184kJ
Wind
E 3 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 223, poor
  2. Tue 351, fair
  3. Wed 463, good
  4. Thu 511, poor
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 79, too small
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 946, fair
  9. Tue 1036, poor
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
  • Best Apr–May1 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 intermediate surfers at Captains, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov23, poor5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)346kJwind from the south, 12 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov51, fair4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)164kJwind from the south, 2 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov63, good4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)241kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov11, poor3 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.)253kJwind from the west-north-west, 14 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)585kJwind from the west-north-west, 10 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov9, too small3 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.)211kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)836kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots29°C
Mon 9Nov46, fair4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)184kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore28°C
Tue 10Nov36, poor5 ft12 smushy7 ft at break (est.)613kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,081kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots22°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 02:49 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.4 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 and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Captains

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

The spot faces W (267°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (87°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 61). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in April, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Melkbosstrand, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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 2 November 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$859–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$148–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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Melkbosstrand

about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Melkbosstrand · Booking.com

About Melkbosstrand 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 26h 40m

About 26h 40m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 55 min by road

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