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Suicide Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Port Nolloth

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P1010144 Port Nolloth
Port Nolloth, the nearest town, 24 km away. Photo: Winfried Bruenken ( Amrum ), CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

About Suicide Reef

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

The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Nolloth.

Water about 13°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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  1. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Port Nolloth, 24 km (about 45 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Suicide Reef: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Port Nolloth, 24 km away (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  2. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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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

Suicide 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Suicide Reef, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct0, too big9 ft10 scrumbling1,286kJwind from the south-south-east, 16 knots14°C
Mon 19Oct0, too big8 ft8 scrumbling807kJwind from the south-east, 11 knots14°C
Tue 20Oct24, poor5 ft9 smushy377kJwind from the south, 11 knots13°C
Wed 21Oct13, poor6 ft9 scrumbling400kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore14°C
Thu 22Oct13, poor6 ft9 scrumbling434kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore15°C
Fri 23Oct24, poor5 ft9 smushy366kJwind from the south, 7 knots17°C
Sat 24Oct19, poor4 ft9 smushy278kJwind from the south, 11 knots15°C
Sun 25Oct12, poor5 ft7 smushy213kJwind from the south, 13 knots15°C
Mon 26Oct45, fair4 ft7 smushy106kJwind from the south-west, 4 knots14°C
Tue 27Oct38, fair5 ft6 smushy174kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot14°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

    No way there we can work out.

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 28 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Suicide Reef

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Suicide Reef

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Suicide Reef

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    No way there we can work out.

The trip from Port Nolloth, with every spot near it

Places to eat near Port Nolloth

  • Scotia Inn Restaurant0.8 km from the centre
  • Sunsets at FrederiksSeafood · 1.5 km from the centre
  • Bella De Port0.7 km from the centre
  • Mare e Sol0.7 km from the centre
  • Nemo's Restaurant0.7 km from the centre

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

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