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A Frames, South Africa

Stay in Wilderness: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Wilderness

All 11 on Wilderness's map

Watch this spot We email you when A Frames is worth the trip.

Wilderness WC
Wilderness, the nearest town, 8 km away. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About A Frames

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (185°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (5°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Wilderness, 8.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 30 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

    See flights MDW → GRJ · Skyscanner from about £780 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 45 min from the airport to A Frames.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WildernessAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Wilderness (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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Forecast

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at A Frames, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct0, too big7 ft9 scrumbling685kJwind from the south, 3 knots14°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big6 ft9 scrumbling562kJwind from the west, 9 knots16°C
Tue 20Oct50, good5 ft8 smushy245kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots17°C
Wed 21Oct0, too big7 ft8 scrumbling592kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots24°C
Thu 22Oct0, too big8 ft8 smushy667kJwind from the west, 9 knots18°C
Fri 23Oct0, too big8 ft8 ssoft893kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots19°C
Sat 24Oct59, good4 ft8 scrumbling214kJwind from the west, 1 knot22°C
Sun 25Oct38, fair3 ft7 smushy57kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots19°C
Mon 26Oct51, good4 ft5 smushy64kJwind from the south, 3 knots17°C
Tue 27Oct41, fair4 ft5 smushy91kJwind from the east, 2 knots20°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 30h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Wilderness Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf A Frames

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 1 kn (3 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 30h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Wilderness each day: A Frames, Kleinkrans Beach, Vic Bay (Beachbreak), Victoria Bay, Wilderness Beach, Wilderness Rivermouth.

The trip from Wilderness, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,140–£2,240 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£780–£1,615
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£50–£85
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£110–£185
Food7 days eating out£115–£210
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£50–£80
Total£1,140–£2,240

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Wilderness

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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