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Lourie Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Herolds Bay

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

Heroldsbai vanaf uitkykpunt
Herolds Bay, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Jpmeijers, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Lourie Reef

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

The spot faces S (174°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (354°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 9). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Herolds Bay, 3.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 17°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 30 h door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

    See flights MDW → GRJ · Skyscanner from about £780 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Lourie Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Herolds 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 Herolds Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Herolds Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Lourie Reef 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

Lourie Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft9 shollow789kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct56 ft8 smushy395kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct545 ft7 shollow205kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct06 ft9 shollow519kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct07 ft8 shollow524kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct08 ft8 shollow784kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct554 ft8 shollow161kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct322 ft7 shollow45kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct202 ft8 shollow50kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct544 ft6 shollow77kJ18°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 GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 30 min by road. About 30h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Herolds Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 13 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Lourie Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

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

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Herolds Bay each day: Herolds Bay, Lourie Reef.

The trip from Herolds Bay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,105–£2,180 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 GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£780–£1,615
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
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£1,105–£2,180

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Herolds Bay

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.