Back to results

Still Bay (Reef), South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Stilbaai

Watch this spot We email you when Still Bay (Reef) is worth the trip.

Goukou Stilbaai
Stilbaai, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Conrad88 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Still Bay (Reef)

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

The spot faces SE (126°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (306°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–17 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 54). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Stilbaai, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

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

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

    See flights MDW → GRJ · Skyscanner from about £780 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 2 h from the airport to Still Bay (Reef).

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in StilbaaiAd

    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 Stilbaai · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Stilbaai · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Still Bay (Reef) on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

Still Bay (Reef) 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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct08 ft9 smushy983kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct06 ft9 ssoft543kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct415 ft7 smushy211kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct08 ft9 ssoft822kJ21°C
Thu 22Oct06 ft9 ssoft501kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct08 ft9 ssoft812kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct314 ft8 smushy224kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct132 ft6 smushy45kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct113 ft7 smushy108kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct303 ft5 smushy63kJ18°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 GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 2h by road. About 31h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Still Bay (Reef)

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 25 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 Red Nose Rock

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

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 2h by road. About 31h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Stilbaai each day: Dolfines, Red Nose Rock, Skulpiesbaai, Still Bay (lefts), Still Bay (Reef).

The trip from Stilbaai, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,140–£2,240 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 GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£780–£1,615
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£1,140–£2,240

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

Places to eat near Stilbaai

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.