Harbour Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 342kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 279kJ
- Wind
- NNE 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 331kJ
- Wind
- WNW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 567kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 882kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Mon 9 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 265kJ
- Wind
- WSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 218, poor
- Tue 335, poor
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 511, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 724, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 950, fair
- Tue 1031, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–15 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Harbour Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 18, poor | 5 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 283kJ | wind from the south, 20 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 35, poor | 5 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 342kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 279kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 11, poor | 5 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 567kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 882kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 265kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 31, poor | 5 ft11 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 528kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 20°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 02:47 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 15:57 −0.4 mHigh 22:08 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.4 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:21 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:37 −0.4 mHigh 11:50 +0.6 mLow 18:21 −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.
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 Tue 3 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
Harbour 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Langebaan Harbour Reef 5.2 km away
- Langebaan (groot strand) 5.7 km away
- Langebaan (klein strand) 6.9 km away
- Reserve Beach 12.1 km away
- Jacobsbaai 14.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Harbour Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (225°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (45°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.6 km out (1 in 256). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°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, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Langebaan, 7.5 km away (about 15 min by car).
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 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
about 15 min by car · 77 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Langebaan its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Saldanha on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
- Beds in Jacobsbaai on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 16 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 28h 05m
About 28h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 15m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.