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Cape Death, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Strandfontein

Watch this spot We email you when Cape Death is worth the trip.

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

About Cape Death

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

The spot faces SW (241°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (61°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 17). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 17°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Strandfontein.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

  1. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Strandfontein, 15 km (about 30 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Cape Death: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    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 Strandfontein, 15 km away (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

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

  2. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Cape Death, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct39, fair7 ft9 scrumbling681kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots14°C
Tue 20Oct24, too small5 ft8 scrumbling313kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore14°C
Wed 21Oct30, poor7 ft8 scrumbling592kJwind from the north, 10 knots16°C
Thu 22Oct39, fair7 ft8 smushy532kJwind from the west-south-west, 9 knots15°C
Fri 23Oct30, poor6 ft8 scrumbling436kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore16°C
Sat 24Oct14, too small4 ft8 shollow216kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots18°C
Sun 25Oct5, too small2 ft8 shollow67kJwind from the south, 10 knots16°C
Mon 26Oct14, too small4 ft5 smushy82kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots16°C
Tue 27Oct12, too small3 ft8 shollow102kJwind from the west-south-west, 8 knots15°C
Wed 28Oct0, poor––––

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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    No way there we can work out.

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Cape Death

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Cape Death

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 9 kn (16 km/h).

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Cape Death

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    No way there we can work out.

The trip from Strandfontein, with every spot near it

Places to eat near Strandfontein

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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