Southwest Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
26Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 3 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 376kJ
- Wind
- SE 19 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 469kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 65 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 270kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 320kJ
- Wind
- NW 21 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 708kJ
- Wind
- WNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 168kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- SE 28 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 23, poor
- Tue 318, poor
- Wed 465, good
- Thu 536, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 79, poor
- Sun 84, too small
- Mon 947, fair
- Tue 1039, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 1,059kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 3, poor | 6 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 376kJ | wind from the south-east, 19 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, poor | 6 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 469kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 65, good | 5 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 320kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 21 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 708kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 9, poor | 5 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 4, too small | 3 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the south-east, 28 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 84kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 39, too small | 3 ft12 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 203kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 19°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 01:15 −0.4 mHigh 07:44 +0.4 mLow 14:12 −0.3 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:48 −0.3 mHigh 09:15 +0.4 mLow 16:01 −0.4 mHigh 22:04 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:27 −0.4 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:25 −0.5 mHigh 23:28 +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
Southwest Reef on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Southwest Reef
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More surf near here
5 places
- Underwater Point 4 km away
- Platboom 4.7 km away
- Buffels Bay 5.3 km away
- Black Rocks 6.3 km away
- Olifants bos 14.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Southwest Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (156°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (336°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 34). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Scarborough Western Cape. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 dive site.
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
| 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
37 min by car · 19 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Scarborough Western Cape its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Fish Hoek on Booking.com
45 min by car · 60 places to stay
- Beds in Kommetjie on Booking.com
51 min by car · 24 places to stay
Nearest beds: Scarborough Western Cape, 21 km (about 40 min by car)
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 55m
About 26h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 05m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.