Black Rocks
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 6 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 373kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 324kJ
- Wind
- WNW 19 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 374kJ
- Wind
- SW 15 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 900kJ
- Wind
- SSE 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 574kJ
- Wind
- ESE 24 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 425, too small
- Thu 534, too small
- Fri 651, fair
- Sat 727, poor
- Sun 811, poor
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1011, too small
- Wed 1126, poor
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 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Black Rocks does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 5 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 373kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 25, too small | 4 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 34, too small | 5 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 324kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 19 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 51, fair | 6 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 374kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, poor | 8 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 900kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, poor | 6 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 574kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 24 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | offshorewind from the west, 7 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft11 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 94kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 26, poor | 6 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 625kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 22 knots, offshore | 18°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:29 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:25 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:41 −0.4 mHigh 11:50 +0.6 mLow 18:24 −0.6 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 00:28 +0.5 mLow 06:35 −0.5 mHigh 12:41 +0.7 mLow 19:10 −0.7 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
Black Rocks 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.
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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Buffels Bay 1.1 km away
- Platboom 3.2 km away
- Underwater Point 3.5 km away
- Olifants bos 8.7 km away
- Extensions 9.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Black Rocks
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 beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). 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 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 2 November 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$859–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$148–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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 30 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
about 35 min by car · 60 places to stay
- Beds in Kommetjie on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 24 places to stay
Nearest beds: Scarborough Western Cape, 15 km (about 30 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 50m
About 26h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.