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Rooi Els, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Pringle Bay

All 20 on Pringle Bay's map

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

Pringle Bay
Pringle Bay, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Rooi Els

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

The spot faces NW (299°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (119°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Pringle Bay, 5.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

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 26 h 50 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. 1 h from the airport to Rooi Els.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

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

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Rooi Els 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

Rooi Els does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct598 ft9 scrumbling1,088kJ13°C
Mon 19Oct386 ft8 scrumbling508kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct175 ft7 smushy229kJ14°C
Wed 21Oct187 ft8 smushy682kJ16°C
Thu 22Oct337 ft8 smushy586kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct477 ft8 scrumbling583kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct224 ft8 smushy193kJ20°C
Sun 25Oct122 ft7 smushy52kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct203 ft8 scrumbling142kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct92 ft7 smushy36kJ24°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 1h by road. About 26h 50 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 23 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Rooi Els

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Moonlight Bay

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).

  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 1h by road. About 26h 50 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Pringle Bay each day: Jerilotto, Moonlight Bay, Pringle Bay, Pringle Bay Reef, Rooi Els.

The trip from Pringle 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 Pringle 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.