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Buffeljags Bay, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Pearly Beach

Watch this spot We email you when Buffeljags Bay is worth the trip.

Pearly Beach, Western Cape
Pearly Beach, the nearest town, 13 km away. Photo: Joachim Huber from Switzerland, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Buffeljags Bay

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

The spot faces SW (222°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (42°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For expert surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 3 good days in 7; in January, November and December, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pearly Beach.

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 28 h 15 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. 2 h 30 from the airport to Buffeljags Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Pearly Beach, 13 km (about 25 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Buffeljags Bay: 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 Pearly Beach, 13 km away 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 Pearly Beach · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Pearly Beach · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Buffeljags Bay 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 experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct479 ft9 ssoft1,347kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct318 ft8 smushy718kJ15°C
Tue 20Oct206 ft7 smushy339kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct2110 ft9 ssoft1,369kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct198 ft8 smushy763kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct476 ft9 ssoft548kJ18°C
Sat 24Oct164 ft8 smushy198kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct113 ft7 smushy61kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct115 ft7 smushy219kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct153 ft5 smushy54kJ18°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 2h 30 by road. About 28h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Buffeljags Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 7 s, wind 11 kn (20 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Buffeljags Bay

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

  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 2h 30 by road. About 28h 15 door to door

The trip from Pearly Beach, 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 Pearly Beach

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

Nearest beds: Pearly Beach, 13 km (about 25 min by car) · 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.