Sandcastles, South Africa

No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Port Alfred, is 52 km away. Nearest airport: ELS (ELS), 56 km.

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About Sandcastles

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

The spot faces SE (147°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (327°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 19°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 23°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Port Alfred, is 52 km away. Nearest airport: ELS (ELS), 56 km.

Water about 20°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 31 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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
Getting there. 1 h 15 from the airport to Sandcastles.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No bookable town within 50 km: the nearest, Port Alfred, is 52 km away. Nearest airport: ELS (ELS), 56 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Sandcastles · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Sandcastles · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Sandcastles on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Sandcastles does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Sandcastles, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	0, too big	7 ft9 ssoft	754kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots	24°C
Mon 19Oct	5, poor	5 ft7 smushy	234kJ	wind from the south-west, 16 knots	17°C
Tue 20Oct	25, poor	6 ft7 smushy	310kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 4 knots	22°C
Wed 21Oct	26, poor	5 ft8 ssoft	272kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots, offshore	25°C
Thu 22Oct	12, poor	4 ft10 ssoft	265kJ	wind from the south-west, 16 knots	22°C
Fri 23Oct	0, too big	9 ft9 ssoft	988kJ	wind from the west, 12 knots	20°C
Sat 24Oct	27, poor	6 ft9 ssoft	454kJ	wind from the north-east, 11 knots	25°C
Sun 25Oct	31, too small	3 ft7 smushy	76kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots	23°C
Mon 26Oct	19, too small	2 ft6 smushy	28kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots	21°C
Tue 27Oct	16, too small	2 ft10 ssoft	72kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 14 knots	24°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

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 1h 15 by road. About 31h 30 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Surf Sandcastles
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Sandcastles
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Sandcastles
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 16 kn (29 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Sandcastles
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 9 s, wind 11 kn (21 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 1h 15 by road. About 31h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,045–£2,095 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return 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 airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£50–£85
Food	7 days eating out	£115–£210
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£50–£80
Total		£1,045–£2,095

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

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