Surfing in Cape Town is a real joy. You’ll catch wedges under the gaze of iconic Table Mountain and get some of the most consistent spots in the Southern Hemisphere. Plus, the city is the gateway to the Garden Route, which hosts epic surf destinations like J-Bay and more.
An introduction to surfing in Cape Town
To say that Cape Town is one of the centers of South African surfing is both right and wrong. The city – the gorgeous, gorgeous city – sits among some of the most reliable breaks in the whole Southern Hemisphere. We’re talking everything from gnarly barreling points to easy beach breaks for starters that are fed by the nigh-on ceaseless swells of the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean (yep, three whole oceans!).
On the other hand, rampant seafront development since the 50s has turned most of the urban beaches into nothing but pounding shore breaks. You’ll need to be ready to drive a little from town to catch waves, or plan to stay nearer one of the working beaches – somewhere like Muizenberg (for beginners) or Kommetjie’s Long Beach (for intermediates+).
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in South Africa
Surfing in Cape Town at a glance
The good…
The bad…
What’s in this guide to surfing in Cape Town?
Where is Cape Town?
Cape Town is the southwesternmost city in both South Africa and Africa as a whole. It hugs a wide bay in the Cape Floristic Region, just north of every 18th-century sailor’s nightmare: The Cape of Good Hope, which caps off the appropriately named Cape Peninsula some 30 miles to the south of the city limits.
Cape Town is famously disconnected from the Rainbow Nation’s bigger urban conglom over in Pretoria-Johannesburg. But that shouldn’t be a problem if you’re coming just for surfing. Loads of major airlines now run direct routes in from Europe and hubs in the Middle East, which makes connecting through from the US a breeze.
Cape Town surf spots
Cape Town itself has a bit of a dearth of urban surf spots – this isn’t Sydney. The real draws lie to the south and east, deep in False Bay and along the Cape Peninsula. Check them out…
Dumps
Dumps is the first spot that can work in normal, 5-7 foot swells as you head north out of the developed heart of Cape Town. It’s actually a rivermouth sandbank that rises near where the water filters into the Atlantic from an inland lagoon. It’s a bit of a roll of the dice wave – you never know what you’ll get. Most of the time, though, it’s true to its name: Dumpy and heavy.
The Wedge
Not to be confused with its namesake over in Orange County, The Wedge of Cape Town is actually a pretty nice wave on its day. As the moniker implies, it’s a perfectly triangular cheese wedge of water that forms as a refracting and reflecting swell join up between the main harbor walls. There needs to be pretty massive action in the W-NW swell forecast for this one to start working because the sets have to work their way through umpteen breakwaters to reach the inner beaches. Access is a nightmare because you gotta’ clamber over all those concrete slabs and jetties.
Thermopylae
The locals call this one Thermo’s, which is fair enough because there’s nothing lofty and classical in the name. It’s called that because of the rusting shipwreck that you can just about make out poking from the sand. Very protected from dominant S winds, it usually has about 50% of the swell of just about everywhere else on the Cape Peninsula. That’s a real draw for loggers and minimalers come the midwinter when things are firing off along the coves here. On larger days (anything riding over 7 foot) then expect this to transform into a spinning, semi-hollow freight trainer that smashes left into a sucky channel.
Off the Wall
A sometimes-crazy left with a fun hollow section that gets mushed to hell towards the finish line, Off the Wall isn’t the busiest or best wave on the more exposed south side of Cape Town. But it can be fun when the winds line up (a bit of S helps) since there’s usually hardly anyone else around.
Queens
Down on the cusp of Fresnaye south of Cape Town, the reefs ring around the headland to get a little more exposure to S-direction swells. That’s where Queens offers a take off right on the shallowest part of the submerged rocks. Don’t be too put off by it, because the wave mellows quickly and becomes very intermediate friendly. This one only works on a full high tide and is rarely busy. Occasional set waves will come in an clean ya’ll up so watch where you’re sitting.
Llandudno
Welsh by name but very South African by nature, Llandudno has become the go-to incubator of wannabe pros in the Cape Town area. It’s always got a crowd but, because the surf schools come by occasionally, the vibe doesn’t tend to be overly hectic.
There are peaks up and down the bay of varying quality but it’s The Hole at the north end that stands out. With 5-8 footers bending in and drops in the S wind you can score slabby pits there to rival something out of South Oz. Others will clutch the southern headland in the hope of the occasional left, which are better in strong SW wrap around swells.
Sandy Bay
There’s a gap between the boulders on the cove just north of Sandy Bay that offers super cruisy right walls for loggers when the swell is small in summer. Keep your eyes closed though – this is the designated nudy beach of the Cape Town region.
Long Beach
Long Beach is the main urban beach in the town of Kommetjie, some hour’s drive down the peninsula from Cape Town. It’s considered one of the most consistent waves in the region, especially when S winds are ravaging the whole of Muizenberg because the coastal angle is a neat N-facing bay. The main break is an A-frame that works on a sandbank that hardly seems to shift one iota year to year. It’s smack dab in the middle of the bay and is an intermediate’s dream, with rippable lefts that hang tight on a 5-8 foot swell and short, bursting rights that drop straight into a paddle channel. Time it for a mid-tide for best conditions.
Scarborough
Scarborough is one of the better waves on the Cape. Strong Atlantic westerlies will set it on fire, because an outside point works like magic, barreling and beefing across sections of reef to offer hollow lines to rip for over 50-100m. Most days and most levels, though, will be looking to surf the sandbank in the middle of the beach. That’s cruisier though it sometimes doesn’t look it, with longish rights that are super duper fun. Good for all levels but you will need a car.
Kalk Bay Reef
A legendary slab that hits XXL proportions, Kalk Bay Reef has seen veterans of Mavericks and defeated them in its time. A mega sucky and powerful overheader that’s tow-out only. Get to the harbor early when its huge and from the east to get the best seats.
Muizenberg
Muizenberg is basically where surfing in South Africa started. That’s why we’ve got a whole separate guide for this long and loveable beach. Suffice to say here that it’s the beginner hotspot of Cape Town and a glorious place to sample SA waves. Swells need to work quite hard to filter through into False Bay so everything’s nice and tempered with plenty of shape. The vibe is also part California, part eastern Oz, with stacks of ocean-side stays and surf cafes to enjoy. If in doubt, plan to surf here!
Surf camps in Cape Town
Second only to J-Bay when it comes to surf camp options in South Africa, Cape Town is now a fine place to come for a planned surf trip. There are a handful of accomplished schools-come-lodges in the city, most of them based out of Muizenberg. The below would be our recommendations…
- 7 Day Intermediate Surf Camp on the Beach in Cape Town with African Soul Surfer – This seven-day romp to Muizenberg will get you one-on-one tutoring right on Surfer’s Corner, the best learner spot in the region. Mornings start with pro yoga classes. Afternoons are all about free surfing.
- 3 Day Surf and Yoga Holiday in Cape Town with Cape Town Surf Yoga – Great for those looking to balance surf sessions with daily yoga, this short package also takes you to the learner haven of Muizenberg and includes accommodation that’s basically right on the beach.
Where to stay when surfing in Cape Town?
Here’s the hard truth: You don’t actually want to stay in Cape Town proper if you’ve come to surf. Well…you can but you’ll need a rental car (which to be fair is a great idea anyhow) and to be ready to drive quite a bit. The better option in our opinion is to do a surf camp (see above), or to bed down somewhere like Muizenberg or Scarborough and surf right out the door. We’ve picked an option in both of those…
- Surferscorner Self Catering Apartments – There’s basically no stay closer to the main beginner waves in Muizenberg than these fantastic self-catering units. Very stylish and with head-on views of the ocean, they’re downright perfect for both couples and families, especially in the beginner category.
- Ocean’s Horizon Beach House – If the wallet allows then this home rental in Scarborough plus a car hire is probably the perfect combo for a perfect surf trip to Cape Town. You can ride the awesome sandbank there but also explore the whole peninsula, and then return to a super-chic pad with an infinity pool overlooking the white sands and Atlantic.
Step-by-step guide to planning your surfing in Cape Town trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the surfing in Cape Town…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step four: Enjoy!
When to surf in Cape Town?
Cape Town has surf all year round. Seriously – there’s a wave here no matter the season. The reason? You’ve got three oceans that work on different swell directions, with waves coming from 180 degrees of compass direction off the Indian Ocean all the way to the Atlantic.
Generally speaking, the best time for more advanced surfers in Cape Town is the winter (May to September). That’s when big low-pressure systems funnel through the southern Atlantic and send 10-15-foot swells routinely into the west-facing beaches. When they combo up with SE winds then things can get real good – but also real big.
The summer months from November to December see a bit more in the way of SE swell with N and W winds that are better for hitting areas like Muizenberg.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
