Santos Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 6 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 284kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 267kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 178kJ
- Wind
- SSW 11 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 467kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 622kJ
- Wind
- ENE 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 222, too small
- Tue 316, too small
- Wed 421, too small
- Thu 523, too small
- Fri 628, too small
- Sat 744, poor
- Sun 820, poor
- Mon 934, too small
- Tue 1025, 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 19 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 22, too small | 5 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 242kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 284kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 267kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, too small | 5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, poor | 6 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 467kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 17 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, poor | 7 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 622kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 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 02:53 −0.4 mHigh 09:38 +0.5 mLow 16:16 −0.3 mHigh 22:24 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.4 mHigh 11:13 +0.5 mLow 17:52 −0.5 mHigh 23:51 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:01 −0.5 mHigh 12:19 +0.7 mLow 18:52 −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 and its town
Santos Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- De Bakke 0.9 km away
- Inner Pool 1.4 km away
- Dias Beach 2.4 km away
- Ding-Dangs 3.4 km away
- Hartenbos 5.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Santos Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (70°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (250°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 94). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Mossel Bay, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,310–US$2,570 each
about US$1,310–US$2,570 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 GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$871–US$1,810 |
| 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$1,310–US$2,570 |
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 · 79 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Mossel Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hartenbos on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 39 places to stay
- Beds in The Island on Booking.com
about 35 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 30h 20m
About 30h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → GRJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.