Staying Home Sucks, home
Remains of shipwreck SS Kakapo, Noordhoek beach SA 2019
Kakapo. Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kakapo

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 9 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 41 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
448kJ
Wind
SSW 6 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 19 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
286kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 16 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 smushy
Energy
1,014kJ
Wind
NW 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 40 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
800kJ
Wind
NW 11 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 51 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
626kJ
Wind
SSW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 58 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
882kJ
Wind
ESE 16 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 19 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
237kJ
Wind
NW 7 kn
Temp
21°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 253, fair
  2. Tue 341, too small
  3. Wed 419, too small
  4. Thu 516, poor
  5. Fri 640, poor
  6. Sat 751, fair
  7. Sun 858, fair
  8. Mon 919, too small
  9. Tue 1028, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Kakapo, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov53, fair6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)569kJwind from the south-south-east, 14 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 3Nov41, too small5 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)448kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov19, too small5 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)286kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov16, poor9 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.)1,014kJwind from the north-west, 15 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov40, poor8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)800kJwind from the north-west, 11 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov51, fair8 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)626kJwind from the south-south-west, 10 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov58, fair7 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)882kJwind from the east-south-east, 16 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov19, too small4 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)237kJwind from the north-west, 7 knots21°C
Tue 10Nov28, too small5 ft11 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)678kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots21°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 09:16 +0.4 mLow 16:00 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:40 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.5 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, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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.

Photos of Kakapo

Wreck of the Kakapo, Kommetjie, Cape Town
Photo: Christopher Nips, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Remains of shipwreck SS Kakapo, Noordhoek SA 2019
Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
NoordHoek Beach - panoramio (1)
Photo: landagent, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kakapo

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

The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 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 August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Kommetjie, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 23 surf spots and 2 dive sites.

Water about 17°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 
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$858–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$147–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

Closest

Kommetjie

about 5 min by car · 24 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 24 places to stay in Kommetjie · Booking.com

About Kommetjie 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 30 October 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.