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Port Alfred, South Africa

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

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

PA - Dunes at Rufane's Beach near Port Alfred, South Africa, 2017
Port Alfred. Photo: Josep M. Gracia, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Port Alfred

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

The spot faces SE (146°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (326°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Alfred, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car).

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 32 h 20 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights MDW → ELS · Skyscanner from about £795 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h 10 from the airport to Port Alfred.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Port AlfredAd

    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 Port Alfred · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Port Alfred · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Port Alfred 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 18Oct06 ft9 ssoft552kJ23°C
Mon 19Oct85 ft7 smushy230kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct483 ft8 smushy126kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct324 ft8 ssoft206kJ24°C
Thu 22Oct174 ft10 ssoft348kJ21°C
Fri 23Oct08 ft8 ssoft814kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct504 ft9 ssoft257kJ24°C
Sun 25Oct232 ft7 smushy48kJ23°C
Mon 26Oct253 ft4 smushy36kJ19°C
Tue 27Oct413 ft5 smushy57kJ20°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 ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 2h 10 by road. About 32h 20 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Port Alfred

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Port Alfred

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 33 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 Port Alfred

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 2h 10 by road. About 32h 20 door to door

The trip from Port Alfred, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,155–£2,280 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 ELS, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£795–£1,655
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£1,155–£2,280

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

Places to eat near Port Alfred

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.