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Pearly Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Pearly Beach

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

Pearly Beach, Western Cape
Pearly Beach, the nearest town. Photo: Joachim Huber from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Pearly Reef

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

The spot faces SW (210°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (30°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 59). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in June, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For expert surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pearly Beach, 0.8 km away (about 5 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 28 h 05 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. 2 h 15 from the airport to Pearly Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Pearly BeachAd

    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 Pearly Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Pearly Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Pearly 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 18Oct4910 ft9 smushy1,385kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct347 ft8 smushy669kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct316 ft7 smushy339kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct249 ft9 ssoft1,358kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct188 ft8 smushy788kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct446 ft9 ssoft497kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct264 ft8 smushy204kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct63 ft7 smushy61kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct83 ft7 smushy81kJ17°C
Tue 27Oct73 ft5 smushy51kJ19°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 2h 15 by road. About 28h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Pearly Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, wind 9 kn (17 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 20 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Pearly Beach edit

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 2h 15 by road. About 28h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Pearly Beach each day: Pearly Beach edit, Pearly Reef.

The trip from Pearly Beach, 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 Pearly Beach

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.