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Pastures, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Saint Helena Bay

All 12 on Saint Helena Bay's map

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

Wilderness WC
Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Pastures

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

The spot faces N (352°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (172°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 36). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 14°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Saint Helena Bay, 4.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots.

Water about 15°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 28 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 from the airport to Pastures.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Saint Helena 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 Saint Helena Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Saint Helena Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Pastures 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 intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft10 ssoft753kJ16°C
Mon 19Oct305 ft9 ssoft400kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct484 ft8 smushy172kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct06 ft9 smushy439kJ15°C
Thu 22Oct325 ft8 smushy302kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct484 ft8 scrumbling205kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct393 ft8 smushy98kJ21°C
Sun 25Oct192 ft6 smushy27kJ21°C
Mon 26Oct393 ft9 scrumbling129kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct263 ft7 smushy55kJ20°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 by road. About 28h 45 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Pastures

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Pastures

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Pastures

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Heaven

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 3h by road. About 28h 45 door to door

The plan picks the best of 9 spots near Saint Helena Bay each day: Brittania Bay (Beachbreak), Brittania Bay (Shelly point), Cape st. Martin reef, Heaven, Hell, Hell, Pastures, Stompneus Baai, V-Bowl.

The trip from Saint Helena 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 Saint Helena Bay

  • BP MarineFish and chips · 1.6 km from the centre
  • Oppikaai Seafood RestaurantSeafood · 1.7 km from the centre
  • Die Nuwe Noord Blinder0.5 km from the centre
  • Noordblinder Pub and Grill0.5 km from the centre
  • The Gull and Bell and Grill1.3 km from the centre
  • Harbour View Restaurant - St Helena Bay1.4 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.