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Kalk Bay Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Fish Hoek

All 33 on Fish Hoek's map

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

Fish Hoek from Elsie's Peak
Fish Hoek, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Derek Keats, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Kalk Bay Reef

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

The spot faces SE (127°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (307°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 16). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 15°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Fish Hoek, 2.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 11 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

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 30 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. 45 min from the airport to Kalk Bay Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Fish HoekAd

    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 Fish Hoek · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Fish Hoek · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Kalk 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

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct225 ft9 shollow395kJ14°C
Mon 19Oct284 ft9 shollow197kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct253 ft9 shollow143kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct465 ft9 shollow369kJ17°C
Thu 22Oct434 ft8 shollow241kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct465 ft9 shollow303kJ19°C
Sat 24Oct132 ft8 shollow74kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct11 ft7 smushy19kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct42 ft5 smushy29kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct81 ft7 shollow18kJ21°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 CPT, changing at ATL, then 45 min by road. About 26h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf The Boiler

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Barnicles

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Electrics

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Electrics

    Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf The Boiler

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to CPT, changing at ATL, then 45 min by road. About 26h 30 door to door

The plan picks the best of 14 spots near Fish Hoek each day: Baileys cottage, Barnicles, Cemetery, Clovelly Wedge, Clovelly, Dangers, reef, Electrics, Glencairn Reef, Kalk Bay (Backdoor), Kalk Bay Reef, Muizenberg, Off the wall, Kalk Bay, pitzmah (clazo's ledge), The Boiler.

The trip from Fish Hoek, 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 Fish Hoek

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.