Kelp Factory, South Africa

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Noordhoek, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 32 km.

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About Kelp Factory

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

The spot faces W (272°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (92°). It is sheltered 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 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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: Noordhoek, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 32 km. Within 5 km we also list 25 surf spots.

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

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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 returnAd
Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Kelp Factory.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Noordhoek, 7 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Cape Town International Airport (CPT), 32 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Kelp Factory · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Kelp Factory · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Kelp Factory on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Kelp Factory, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	10 ft9 scrumbling	1,640kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 10 knots	15°C
Mon 19Oct	0, too big	8 ft8 scrumbling	741kJ	wind from the south-west, 5 knots	17°C
Tue 20Oct	11, poor	5 ft8 smushy	298kJ	wind from the north, 8 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	0, too big	10 ft9 smushy	1,323kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 16 knots	17°C
Thu 22Oct	0, too big	9 ft8 smushy	800kJ	wind from the north-west, 9 knots	17°C
Fri 23Oct	0, too big	7 ft8 scrumbling	662kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots	20°C
Sat 24Oct	49, good	4 ft7 smushy	182kJ	wind from the south, 9 knots	22°C
Sun 25Oct	12, too small	2 ft10 shollow	78kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 18 knots	20°C
Mon 26Oct	30, poor	4 ft8 scrumbling	195kJ	wind from the south-east, 19 knots	19°C
Tue 27Oct	40, fair	3 ft8 scrumbling	85kJ	wind from the south-east, 18 knots, offshore	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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 55 min by road. About 26h 40 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Kelp Factory
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (16 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Kelp Factory
Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel 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.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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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Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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