Jacobsbaai
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 141kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- SE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 172kJ
- Wind
- NW 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 609kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- SW 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 932kJ
- Wind
- SE 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 287kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 228, poor
- Tue 350, fair
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 718, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 945, fair
- Tue 1043, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Jacobsbaai 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 | 28, poor | 5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 492kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 21 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 50, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft11 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | wind from the north-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 609kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 18, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 932kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 287kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 43, poor | 3 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:48 −0.3 mHigh 09:18 +0.4 mLow 15:58 −0.4 mHigh 22:10 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:24 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:23 −0.5 mHigh 23:31 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:39 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:23 −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
Jacobsbaai 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
- Swartriet beach 1.8 km away
- Plaasbaai Shorey 4.5 km away
- Diazville Mainbeach 5.5 km away
- Groot Trekoskraal 6.4 km away
- Klein Trekoskraal 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Jacobsbaai
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 exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 51). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in June, 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 Jacobsbaai, 0.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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 5 min by car · 16 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Jacobsbaai 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 Paternoster on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 72 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 20m
About 28h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 35m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.