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Nine mile Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Khayelitsha

All 13 on Khayelitsha's map

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

Khayelitsha Lookout-Hill Ilitha-Park
Khayelitsha, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: FreddieA, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Nine mile Reef

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

The spot faces S (182°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (2°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 69). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April and May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Khayelitsha, 4.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

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 20 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. 35 min from the airport to Nine mile Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in KhayelitshaAd

    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 Khayelitsha · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Khayelitsha · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Nine mile 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

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct306 ft9 smushy519kJ16°C
Mon 19Oct294 ft9 ssoft254kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct254 ft8 ssoft195kJ18°C
Wed 21Oct405 ft9 ssoft418kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct405 ft8 smushy329kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct426 ft8 ssoft424kJ21°C
Sat 24Oct143 ft8 smushy127kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct22 ft7 smushy30kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct93 ft6 smushy44kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct62 ft6 smushy20kJ23°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 35 min by road. About 26h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Nine mile Reef

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Nine mile Reef

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Nine mile Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 35 min by road. About 26h 20 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Khayelitsha each day: Monwabisi, Nine mile Reef.

The trip from Khayelitsha, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,095–£2,160 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
Taxiairport and back, shared£20–£35
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£1,095–£2,160

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

Places to eat near Khayelitsha

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.