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Gordons Bay, Back Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Strand

All 19 on Strand's map

Watch this spot We email you when Gordons Bay, Back Reef is worth the trip.

Wilderness WC
Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Gordons Bay, Back Reef

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

The spot faces W (281°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (101°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Strand, 7.3 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 16°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 26 h 40 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. 55 min from the airport to Gordons Bay, Back Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in StrandAd

    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 Strand · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Strand · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Gordons Bay, Back Reef on Google Maps · Directions

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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

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct446 ft9 scrumbling591kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct305 ft8 scrumbling274kJ14°C
Tue 20Oct134 ft7 smushy126kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct125 ft8 smushy345kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct285 ft8 smushy305kJ15°C
Fri 23Oct346 ft8 scrumbling391kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct143 ft8 smushy124kJ17°C
Sun 25Oct102 ft7 smushy35kJ19°C
Mon 26Oct123 ft6 smushy48kJ22°C
Tue 27Oct113 ft5 smushy41kJ20°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 55 min by road. About 26h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Seconds

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf AECI beachbreak.

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (11 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf AECI beachbreak.

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 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 55 min by road. About 26h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 16 spots near Strand each day: AECI beachbreak., Blinkklip Inner Reef, Blinkklip Reef, Die Poort, Duckies Reef, Gordons Bay, Back Reef, Gordon's Bay , Bikini beach, Gordons Bay, Bikini Shorebreak., Gordons Bay, helicopters, Greenways Reef, Harbour Island, Seconds, Seconds, Silkies, Strand (pipe), Virgin Point.

The trip from Strand, 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 Strand

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.