Staying Home Sucks, home
L'Agulhas
L'Agulhas, the nearest town. Photo: Self, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

Jessies Bay

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

22Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 6 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 24 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 smushy
Energy
574kJ
Wind
ESE 11 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 24 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
355kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
225kJ
Wind
W 18 kn
Temp
19°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
439kJ
Wind
WNW 20 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 19 out of 100

Swell
8 ft7 smushy
Energy
596kJ
Wind
SW 11 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 18 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
758kJ
Wind
E 22 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 29 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
179kJ
Wind
SW 11 kn
Temp
20°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 324, poor
  2. Wed 424, too small
  3. Thu 511, too small
  4. Fri 612, too small
  5. Sat 719, poor
  6. Sun 818, poor
  7. Mon 929, too small
  8. Tue 1016, too small
  9. Wed 1145, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Jessies Bay, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov24, poor6 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.)574kJwind from the east-south-east, 11 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov24, too small5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)355kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)225kJwind from the west, 18 knots19°C
Fri 6Nov12, too small6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)439kJwind from the west-north-west, 20 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov19, poor8 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)596kJwind from the south-west, 11 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov18, poor8 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)758kJwind from the east, 22 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov29, too small5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)179kJwind from the south-west, 11 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov16, too small4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the west, 14 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov45, fair7 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)935kJwind from the west-north-west, 28 knots, offshore22°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 04:26 −0.4 mHigh 10:48 +0.5 mLow 17:32 −0.5 mHigh 23:33 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.5 mHigh 11:54 +0.6 mLow 18:31 −0.6 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 00:32 +0.5 mLow 06:38 −0.5 mHigh 12:45 +0.7 mLow 19:16 −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

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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Jessies Bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces SE (149°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (329°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 70). 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 L'Agulhas, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$859–US$1,780
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$161–US$275
Food7 days eating outabout US$148–US$268
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout 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

Closest

L'Agulhas

about 5 min by car · 25 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 25 places to stay in L'Agulhas · Booking.com

About L'Agulhas its beds, food and every spot near it

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 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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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