Struisbaai Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 7 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 211kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 419kJ
- Wind
- ESE 12 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 288kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 226kJ
- Wind
- W 17 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- WNW 16 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 612kJ
- Wind
- S 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 542kJ
- Wind
- ESE 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 133, too small
- Mon 212, too small
- Tue 310, too small
- Wed 414, too small
- Thu 512, too small
- Fri 618, too small
- Sat 744, poor
- Sun 89, too small
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 1025, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 7–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Struisbaai Reef does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 33, too small | 6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 526kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 12, too small | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 10, too small | 5 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 12 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 14, too small | 5 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 288kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 12, too small | 4 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 226kJ | offshorewind from the west, 17 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 16 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 44, poor | 7 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 612kJ | wind from the south, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 9, too small | 6 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 542kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | offshorewind from the west, 14 knots, offshore | 23°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 01:06 −0.5 mHigh 07:45 +0.5 mLow 14:04 −0.4 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:40 −0.4 mHigh 09:20 +0.5 mLow 16:05 −0.4 mHigh 22:10 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.4 mHigh 10:49 +0.5 mLow 17:34 −0.5 mHigh 23:34 +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 and its town
Struisbaai 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Struisbaai Back Reef 0.4 km away
- Struisbaai Point 0.6 km away
- Struisbaai Harbour Wedge 0.9 km away
- Jessies Bay 4.5 km away
- Aghulus Reef 6.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Struisbaai Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (89°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (269°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 7–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 118). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Struisbaai, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$1,300–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
1 min by car · 40 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Struisbaai its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in L'Agulhas on Booking.com
9 min by car · 25 places to stay
- Beds in Arniston on Booking.com
38 min by car · 12 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 55m
About 28h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 3h 05m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.