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Nahoon Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of East London

All 10 on East London's map

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About Nahoon Reef

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

The spot faces SE (135°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (315°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 57). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in September, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For expert 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 East London, 5.5 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

Water about 21°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 31 h 05 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to ELS, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

    See flights MDW → ELS · Skyscanner from about £795 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Nahoon Reef, 19 km.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in East LondonAd

    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 East London · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in East London · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Nahoon Reef on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Nahoon Reef does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 19Oct217 ft8 smushy611kJ19°C
Tue 20Oct346 ft8 smushy432kJ21°C
Wed 21Oct236 ft9 ssoft509kJ23°C
Thu 22Oct219 ft9 ssoft1,121kJ22°C
Fri 23Oct269 ft8 smushy1,064kJ20°C
Sat 24Oct205 ft9 ssoft361kJ25°C
Sun 25Oct83 ft6 smushy58kJ22°C
Mon 26Oct103 ft6 smushy50kJ20°C
Tue 27Oct42 ft6 smushy38kJ24°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Tue 20 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly MDW to ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 55 min by road. About 31h 05 door to door

  2. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 29 of 80.

  3. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Nahoon Beach Break

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

  4. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Nahoon Beach Break

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, offshore wind.

  5. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sun 25 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Mon 26 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to ELS, changing at ATL and CPT, then 55 min by road. About 31h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near East London each day: Bonza Bay, Eastern Beach, Gashers, Kennaway Ledge, Nahoon Beach Break, Nahoon Reef, Naidoo's Point.

The trip from East London, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,135–£2,245 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 ELS, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£795–£1,655
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£30–£50
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£1,135–£2,245

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near East London

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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Getting thereAd

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Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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