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Clovelly, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Fish Hoek

All 33 on Fish Hoek's map

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

False Bay
Near Clovelly, 1 km away. Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Clovelly

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

The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Fish Hoek, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

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

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 26 h 30 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. 45 min from the airport to Clovelly.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Fish HoekAd

    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 Fish Hoek · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Fish Hoek · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Clovelly on Google Maps · Directions

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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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct165 ft9 smushy395kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct214 ft9 scrumbling197kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct183 ft9 scrumbling143kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct345 ft9 scrumbling369kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct304 ft8 scrumbling241kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct295 ft9 scrumbling303kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct102 ft8 scrumbling74kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct11 ft7 smushy19kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct32 ft5 smushy29kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct61 ft7 smushy18kJ21°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 45 min by road. About 26h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf The Boiler

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (19 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Cemetery

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf The Boiler

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf The Boiler

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 45 min by road. About 26h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 14 spots near Fish Hoek each day: Baileys cottage, Barnicles, Cemetery, Clovelly Wedge, Clovelly, Dangers, reef, Electrics, Glencairn Reef, Kalk Bay (Backdoor), Kalk Bay Reef, Muizenberg, Off the wall, Kalk Bay, pitzmah (clazo's ledge), The Boiler.

The trip from Fish Hoek, 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 Fish Hoek

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.