Glen Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 191kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 243kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 smushy
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- NW 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 659kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 344kJ
- Wind
- S 7 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 827kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 182kJ
- Wind
- NW 0 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 220, poor
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 516, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 945, fair
- Tue 1045, fair
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 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.
Glen Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 346kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 14 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 1 knot, offshore | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | offshorewind from the east, 1 knot, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, poor | 4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the north-west, 13 knots | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 659kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 344kJ | wind from the south, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 827kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | wind from the north-west, 0 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft12 shollow7 ft at break (est.) | 638kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft10 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 1,069kJ | wind from the north-west, 14 knots | 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:40 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:24 −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, its town, photos
Glen Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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Photos of Glen Reef
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More surf near here
5 places
- Camps Bay shorey 0.2 km away
- Glen Beach 0.2 km away
- Clifton 4th Beach 0.7 km away
- Clifton 3rd Beach 0.9 km away
- Tidals 0.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Glen Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (271°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (91°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 14°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Cape Town, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 18 surf spots and 4 dive sites.
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 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 5 min by car · 147 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Camps Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cape Town on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 397 places to stay
- Beds in Llandudno on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 44 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 26h 30m
About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 40 min 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.