Glencairn Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
17Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: too small (4 ft swell at 9 s), 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- SSE 14 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- ESE 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 103kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 216kJ
- Wind
- WNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- WNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 171kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 229kJ
- Wind
- SE 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 115, too small
- Mon 24, too small
- Tue 319, too small
- Wed 415, too small
- Thu 524, too small
- Fri 619, too small
- Sat 717, too small
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1010, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Glencairn Reef does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 302kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft8 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.) | 103kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 216kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 171kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 4 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 229kJ | wind from the south-east, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 14kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 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 01:16 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:10 −0.4 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:49 −0.3 mHigh 09:14 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:04 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.4 mHigh 10:42 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:28 +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 and its town
Glencairn 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Clovelly Wedge 2.9 km away
- Off the wall, Kalk Bay 3.3 km away
- Clovelly 3.7 km away
- Kalk Bay (Backdoor) 3.9 km away
- Kalk Bay Reef 3.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Glencairn Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (111°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (291°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 31). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Fish Hoek, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots, 5 dive sites and 2 climbing areas.
Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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: 3 towns
4 min by car · 60 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Fish Hoek its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Scarborough Western Cape on Booking.com
12 min by car · 19 places to stay
- Beds in Noordhoek on Booking.com
14 min by car · 29 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 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.