Back to results

Baby J, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Hermanus

All 15 on Hermanus's map

Watch this spot We email you when Baby J is worth the trip.

Wilderness WC
Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Baby J

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

The spot faces SW (207°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (27°). 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 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hermanus, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 16°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 27 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → CPT · Skyscanner from about £765 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 30 from the airport to Baby J.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in HermanusAd

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

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

    See all places to stay 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.

    Surf lessons in Hermanus · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Hermanus · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Baby J on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct09 ft9 scrumbling1,324kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct07 ft8 scrumbling682kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct136 ft7 smushy302kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct09 ft9 scrumbling1,225kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct08 ft8 smushy762kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct465 ft8 scrumbling345kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct504 ft8 smushy215kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct153 ft7 smushy57kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct274 ft8 smushy201kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct353 ft5 smushy52kJ18°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 CPT, changing at ATL, then 1h 30 by road. About 27h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Baby J

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  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
    Surf Grotto Beach

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Bay view

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 1h 30 by road. About 27h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 13 spots near Hermanus each day: Baby J, Bay view, Bayview, Grotto Beach, Hardebaai, Magnet Rock, Mini Reef, Mosselrivier Rivermouth, Onrus, Sandbaai, Sandbaai Beach, Vendetta Reef, Voelklip.

The trip from Hermanus, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,125–£2,210 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£765–£1,585
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£1,125–£2,210

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

Places to eat near Hermanus

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.