Drainpipes, South Africa
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Scarborough Western Cape, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 33 km.
Watch this spot We email you when Drainpipes is worth the trip.
About Drainpipes
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces W (258°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (78°). 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 200 m out (1 in 19). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Scarborough Western Cape, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 33 km. Within 5 km we also list 24 surf spots.
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 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
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 returnAdGetting there. 55 min from the airport to Drainpipes.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Scarborough Western Cape, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 33 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Drainpipes · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Drainpipes · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Drainpipes on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 0, too big | 10 ft9 scrumbling | 1,644kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 19Oct | 44, fair | 7 ft8 smushy | 560kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 30, too small | 5 ft8 smushy | 290kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 0, too big | 10 ft9 smushy | 1,318kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 16 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 30, poor | 8 ft8 smushy | 708kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 57, good | 7 ft8 scrumbling | 629kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 28, too small | 5 ft8 smushy | 245kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 5, too small | 2 ft10 shollow | 83kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 12, too small | 4 ft8 scrumbling | 204kJ | wind from the south-east, 19 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 7, too small | 3 ft8 shollow | 78kJ | wind from the south-east, 17 knots | 23°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
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 55 min by road. About 26h 40 door to door
- Tue 20 OctSurf Drainpipes
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (16 km/h).
- Wed 21 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Thu 22 OctSurf Drainpipes
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).
- Fri 23 OctSurf Drainpipes
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
- Sat 24 OctSurf Drainpipes
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 55 min by road. About 26h 40 door to door
Rough cost
About £1,015–£2,025 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | £765–£1,585 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £50–£85 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £115–£210 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £50–£80 |
| Total | £1,015–£2,025 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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