Staying Home Sucks, home
Atlantic waves
Near Reserve Beach. Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Reserve Beach

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 26 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
489kJ
Wind
SSE 23 kn
Temp
16°C

Tue 3 · 52 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
305kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
16°C

Wed 4 · 60 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
209kJ
Wind
WSW 6 kn
Temp
16°C

Thu 5 · 15 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
94kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
591kJ
Wind
WNW 12 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
209kJ
Wind
S 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
634kJ
Wind
SE 16 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 226, poor
  3. Tue 352, fair
  4. Wed 460, good
  5. Thu 515, poor
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 718, poor
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 953, fair
  10. Tue 1025, too small

The spot in five 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

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Reserve Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big8 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)971kJwind from the south-south-east, 14 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov26, poor5 ft10 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)489kJwind from the south-south-east, 23 knots16°C
Tue 3Nov52, fair4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)305kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots16°C
Wed 4Nov60, good4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)209kJwind from the west-south-west, 6 knots16°C
Thu 5Nov15, poor4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)94kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)591kJwind from the west-north-west, 12 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov18, poor4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)209kJwind from the south, 6 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)634kJwind from the south-east, 16 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov53, fair4 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.)161kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore17°C
Tue 10Nov25, too small3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots17°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 01:18 −0.4 mHigh 07:47 +0.5 mLow 14:13 −0.4 mHigh 20:29 +0.3 m
  • 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 −0.3 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:21 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Reserve Beach

West Coast Park coast
Near Reserve Beach. Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Reserve Beach

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

The spot faces W (262°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (82°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 28). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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). The town to stay in is Langebaan, 6.9 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 
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: 2 towns

Closest

Langebaan

12 min by car · 77 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 77 places to stay in Langebaan · Booking.com

About Langebaan 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 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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.