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Garbage dumps, South Africa

Stay in Lambert's Bay: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Lambert's Bay

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

Lamberts Bay P1010337
Lambert's Bay, the nearest town. Photo: Winfried Bruenken ( Amrum ), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

About Garbage dumps

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

The spot faces W (265°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (85°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 48). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Lambert's Bay, 0.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 29 h 45 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. 3 h 55 from the airport to Garbage dumps.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Lambert's BayAd

    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 Lambert's Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Lambert's Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Garbage dumps on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft10 smushy907kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct86 ft9 smushy429kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct405 ft8 smushy230kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct06 ft8 smushy457kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct116 ft8 smushy367kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct325 ft8 ssoft294kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct253 ft8 smushy127kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct112 ft9 scrumbling50kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct333 ft8 ssoft116kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct293 ft7 smushy62kJ16°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 3h 55 by road. About 29h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Garbage dumps

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 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
    Surf Garbage dumps

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Garbage dumps

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Lamberts Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 3h 55 by road. About 29h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Lambert's Bay each day: Farmer Burgers, Garbage dumps, Lamberts Bay, Sours.

The trip from Lambert's Bay, 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 Lambert's Bay

  • Isabellas RestaurantSeafood · 0.5 km from the centre
  • Bird IslandSeafood · 0.7 km from the centre
  • RoestydTheme · 0.4 km from the centre
  • High Tide Restaurant0.4 km from the centre

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.