Gerickes back reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 287kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 354kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 269kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 348kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 377kJ
- Wind
- W 13 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 744kJ
- Wind
- ESE 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 136, poor
- Mon 227, poor
- Tue 347, fair
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 559, fair
- Fri 611, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 937, poor
- Tue 1043, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft8 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 313kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, poor | 5 ft8 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 287kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft8 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | 5 ft9 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 354kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 269kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 11, poor | 6 ft8 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 348kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 377kJ | wind from the west, 13 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 744kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft6 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the east, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 19°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 01:25 −0.5 mHigh 08:00 +0.5 mLow 14:15 −0.3 mHigh 20:38 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:57 −0.4 mHigh 09:41 +0.4 mLow 16:20 −0.3 mHigh 22:27 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:47 −0.4 mHigh 11:16 +0.5 mLow 17:56 −0.4 mHigh 23:55 +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–Jun
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
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 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
Gerickes back reef 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.
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
- Gerickes Point (Left) 0.5 km away
- Gerickes (Scar reef) 0.8 km away
- Sandpoep Shorey 1.8 km away
- Vallies Doom Shorey 4 km away
- A Frames 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gerickes back reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (192°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (12°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 12). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Sedgefield, 4.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
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
8 min by car · 40 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Sedgefield its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Wilderness on Booking.com
30 min by car · 68 places to stay
- Beds in Brenton on Sea on Booking.com
44 min by car · 25 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 30m
About 30h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → GRJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.