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Saxon (left), South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Arniston

Watch this spot We email you when Saxon (left) is worth the trip.

Arniston WestCape
Arniston, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Bothar at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About Saxon (left)

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

The spot faces SE (143°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (323°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arniston, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

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

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From Chicago: about 29 h 05 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. 3 h 15 from the airport to Saxon (left).

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in ArnistonAd

    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 Arniston · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Arniston · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Saxon (left) on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct378 ft9 ssoft1,093kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct397 ft8 ssoft589kJ17°C
Tue 20Oct305 ft7 smushy251kJ17°C
Wed 21Oct398 ft9 ssoft1,009kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct288 ft8 smushy656kJ18°C
Fri 23Oct338 ft9 ssoft830kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct134 ft8 ssoft171kJ19°C
Sun 25Oct93 ft7 smushy68kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct44 ft6 smushy87kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct123 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 3h 15 by road. About 29h 05 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Saxon (left)

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Saxon (left)

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf A-Span

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 7 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Saxon (left)

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 8 ft at 9 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  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 3h 15 by road. About 29h 05 door to door

The plan picks the best of 5 spots near Arniston each day: A-Span, Arniston, Saxon (left), Waenhuiskrans Arniston Roman beach, Waenhuiskrans Point.

The trip from Arniston, 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 Arniston

  • Willene's RestuarantHot dog · 0.1 km from the centre
  • Mien's Tea Garden0.6 km from the centre
  • Willeens restaurant0.6 km from the centre
  • Wanda's Waenhuis Restaurant0.8 km from the centre

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.