Cape Town has world-class surf and a lot of microclimates. The wind that ruins one spot lights up the next. Here's how to read it, where to ride, and what to wear when you do.
Wind direction is the most important variable for surfing. Watch where the South Easter is blowing — it's offshore at Muizenberg and onshore at Llandudno.
Cape Town has two coastlines facing in opposite directions. The Atlantic side (Llandudno, Glen Beach, Long Beach Kommetjie) wants south-easterly wind to be offshore. False Bay (Muizenberg, Strand) wants north-westerly wind to be offshore. So the same morning's wind is great at one and ruined at the other — and the right answer is to match the spot to today's wind, then look at swell size.
The Cape Peninsula is a narrow mountainous finger between two completely different oceans. The Atlantic Ocean is on the west — cold (12–17°C year-round, thanks to the Benguela current), surf-rich, and exposed to the major southwest swells that travel up from the Southern Ocean. False Bay is on the east — warmer (16–22°C, more on that below), more sheltered, and dependent on south-east swells. Between them are the mountains: Table Mountain, Constantiaberg, and the rest of the peninsula spine, which channels wind in ways that make a generic forecast useless.
The practical result: an offshore wind for Muizenberg is an onshore wind for Llandudno (and vice versa). The same swell that delivers 2 m at Long Beach Kommetjie might be 0.4 m at Muizenberg. Cape Town surf works because you can drive 35 minutes from one ocean to the other and find conditions that suit you, in almost any wind. It's a uniquely versatile coastline if you're willing to drive.
Best for: Beginners and longboarders. Wind: Offshore on SE (summer); onshore on NW. Swell: Works in almost anything 0.5–1.5 m. Crowd: Always busy. Bottom: Sand. Water: 16–22°C (False Bay). Tide: Works low to mid, best on the push.
The world's most beginner-friendly classic break. The waves roll in gradually from a long sand bank, the water is warmer than the Atlantic, the bottom is forgiving, and the lifeguards know everyone by name. Six surf schools operate along Surfer's Corner with rental boards from R200/day. Don't expect to find solitude — at peak summer the line-up can hold 200 people. Locals surf early (before 08:00) or in the off-season.
Parking: Beachfront paid parking R20/half-hour. The Pavilion side is usually less busy.
Hazards: Crowd more than current. Watch for kooks on rented boards in the line-up — they don't always know which way they're paddling. Shark Spotters operate here.
Best for: Intermediates to advanced. Wind: Offshore on E/SE/S — summer perfection. Swell: Needs 1.5 m+ to fire properly. Crowd: Moderate. Bottom: Sand. Water: 12–17°C (Atlantic). Tide: Works high tide best, drains too fast on low.
Long, sandy beach south of the peninsula, about 45 minutes from the city. Multiple peaks, less crowded than Muizenberg, slightly faster waves. The water is significantly colder — a proper 4/3 mm wetsuit is non-negotiable outside of February's brief warm spell. Kommetjie has produced more pro surfers per capita than any other South African town; the local crew is good, friendly if you're respectful, sharper if you drop in.
Parking: Free at the main car park. Lock everything.
Best for: Advanced. Wind: Offshore on NE/E (rare, mostly winter mornings); killed by SE. Swell: Loves big winter SW swells. Crowd: Local, protective. Bottom: Sand and rock. Tide: Mid to low.
Beautiful, expensive, remote-feeling for a suburb of Cape Town. The beach is enclosed by granite boulders and surrounded by some of the city's priciest real estate. Takes a serious swell to fire — but when it does, the rights off the southern point are fast, hollow and rewarding. Locals are tight; respect the line-up, don't bring a crew of five, don't paddle outside, don't drop in. There is no parking lot to speak of — find the nearest road space and walk.
Best for: Advanced. Wind: Offshore on E/NE. Swell: Picks up Atlantic SW swells. Crowd: Local. Bottom: Rock and sand. Tide: Mid.
Camps Bay's not-so-secret. A powerful right-hander on the right day, with the most spectacular backdrop of any surf spot in the city — Lion's Head behind you, Twelve Apostles to the south. Not a beginner spot. The take-off zone is shallow; the inside section breaks on rocks. Park on Victoria Road.
Best for: Wind-and-wave combos, learning. Wind: Side-shore SE, perfect for kiting; can work for SUP and small surf. Swell: Wind-driven, rarely clean. Crowd: Mixed (kites + surfers). Bottom: Sand.
Better known as a kite spot but produces fun, mellow surf when the wind drops in late afternoon or in calm winter periods. Worth a look in winter when the Atlantic seaboard is firing elsewhere and you want a low-stakes session. Stay clear of the kite zone — the launch is at the northern end of the bay, and surfers stay south.
Best for: Big-wave specialists only. Wind: Offshore on SE. Swell: Needs 4 m+. Crowd: A small global circle of pros. Bottom: Reef, deep.
One of the world's premier big-wave spots, breaking outside Hout Bay against the Sentinel cliffs. 6–25 m+ waves on the biggest winter days. Reached by boat or paddled out from the harbour by the most experienced surfers in the world. Most years there's a dedicated tow-in day or two when the swell is right and the wind cooperates. Watch from the viewpoint at the top of Chapman's Peak Drive — do not paddle out unless you really know what you're doing.
Best for: Intermediate to advanced. Wind: Offshore on E/SE. Swell: Big and powerful, full Cape Point exposure. Crowd: Light. Bottom: Sand. Water: Very cold (Atlantic, often the coldest spot listed).
Past Kommetjie on the way to Cape Point. Long, lonely, beautiful, often empty even on good days because the drive is the longest of the Cape Town spots and the water is brutal. When the swell is on and the wind is right, Scarborough delivers some of the cleanest waves in the country. Bring a hood.
Best for: Intermediates seeking the False Bay alternative. Wind: Offshore on N/NW. Swell: Cape Point swells refracted around the peninsula. Crowd: Light. Bottom: Sand. Water: Warmest in Cape Town summers (occasionally 22°C).
An hour east of the city centre, Strand is the False Bay alternative when Muizenberg is too crowded. Gentle, long paddle, very warm water in summer. Worth the drive on a north-westerly winter morning.
For experienced surfers willing to paddle far, the outer reefs at Kom and the right-hander at the Crayfish Factory offer Cape Town's most rewarding waves on the right day. Both require local knowledge — ask, don't guess. We won't publish the optimum tide for either; the locals would prefer we didn't.
If you're new to local surf, the three things to check before paddling out, in order:
Locals also check water temperature (False Bay can shift 4°C in a day on an upwelling event), local wind history over the past 12 hours (an onshore morning often spoils an offshore afternoon for a few hours after the wind switch), and the swell direction at deep-water buoys.
Cape Town water is cold year-round. Atlantic seaboard runs 12–17°C; False Bay 14–22°C. Plan around the spot, not the season:
Local wetsuit brands worth knowing: Reef Wetsuits, Cape Union Mart (cheaper), and the imported brands at Surf Centre Hout Bay and at Lifestyle Surf Shop in Long Beach.
False Bay had an active great white population that has dramatically declined since 2017, with multiple research theories about why (orca predation, food source changes, fishing pressure). The Atlantic side has had very few shark interactions historically. That said, surfing carries some risk and Cape Town manages it with a public service that no other surf city in the world has: Shark Spotters.
The Shark Spotters NPO has staffed lookout posts at Muizenberg, Fish Hoek, Glencairn and Caves since 2004. Trained spotters with polarised binoculars watch the water during surf hours and broadcast over a flag-and-siren system:
At Fish Hoek the system is supplemented by a seasonal shark-exclusion net during summer. Most Capetonian surfers carry the Shark Spotters app, which mirrors the flag system in real-time.
Cape Town surf culture is broadly welcoming but has zero tolerance for dropping in. The rules are universal:
Cape Town has produced more world-class surfers per capita than any city outside Australia. Jordy Smith, twice runner-up on the world Championship Tour, grew up surfing the city's spots. Mikey February, Beyrick de Vries and Jordy Maree all came through Cape Town's grom contests. The country's longest-running surf competition, the Roxy Pro, ran at Long Beach for decades; the modern Cape Town leg of the world Qualifying Series is hosted at the same break. The local surf-shaper community — Spider Murphy, Smiley, Robbie Schreiber — still produces some of the best custom boards anywhere.
Wind and swell data on this page is sourced from Open-Meteo and the NOAA WaveWatch III model. Tide tables come from the South African Navy Hydrographic Office. Climate normals from SAWS (1991–2020). Local spot insights are from our team's combined four decades on the Cape Town coast.
Last updated: May 2026. By the weather.capetown team — Jess van Zyl (ISA instructor, Muizenberg) primary author.
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