Back to results

Brak River, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Hartenbos

Watch this spot We email you when Brak River is worth the trip.

ATKVHartenbos
Hartenbos, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Suidpunt, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About Brak River

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

The spot faces SE (131°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (311°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 63). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hartenbos, 5.3 km away (about 10 min by car).

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

Saved: this link opens the same trip

Email itRemind me to book

The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 15 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. 45 min from the airport to Brak River.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in HartenbosAd

    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 Hartenbos · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Hartenbos · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Brak River 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

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct07 ft9 ssoft599kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct375 ft9 ssoft358kJ18°C
Tue 20Oct384 ft7 smushy148kJ17°C
Wed 21Oct315 ft9 ssoft386kJ26°C
Thu 22Oct06 ft7 smushy364kJ20°C
Fri 23Oct07 ft8 ssoft603kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct323 ft7 smushy113kJ22°C
Sun 25Oct152 ft7 smushy37kJ20°C
Mon 26Oct103 ft5 smushy38kJ21°C
Tue 27Oct384 ft5 smushy77kJ22°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 45 min by road. About 30h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Brak River

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Brak River

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 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 Brak River

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, wind 2 kn (3 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 30h 15 door to door

The plan picks the best of 2 spots near Hartenbos each day: Brak River, Hartenbos.

The trip from Hartenbos, 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 Hartenbos

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.