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Struisbaai Back Reef, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Struisbaai

Watch this spot We email you when Struisbaai Back Reef is worth the trip.

Fisherman's Cottages Hotagterklip, Struisbaai. 06
Struisbaai, the nearest town, 1 km away. Photo: Chris Snelling, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Struisbaai Back Reef

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

The spot faces E (101°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (281°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 6–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 145). 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 Struisbaai, 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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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 28 h 55 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 05 from the airport to Struisbaai Back Reef.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in StruisbaaiAd

    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 Struisbaai · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Struisbaai · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Struisbaai Back Reef on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Struisbaai Back 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
Sun 18Oct447 ft9 ssoft820kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct446 ft9 ssoft497kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct346 ft8 ssoft363kJ16°C
Wed 21Oct487 ft10 ssoft904kJ18°C
Thu 22Oct537 ft8 smushy589kJ16°C
Fri 23Oct258 ft9 ssoft772kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct194 ft8 ssoft154kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct73 ft7 smushy59kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct34 ft6 smushy87kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct113 ft5 smushy52kJ18°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 05 by road. About 28h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Struisbaai Harbour Wedge

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Struisbaai Harbour Wedge

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 8 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Struisbaai Back Reef

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

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Struisbaai Harbour Wedge

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 8 ft at 8 s, wind 5 kn (10 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 05 by road. About 28h 55 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Struisbaai each day: Struisbaai Back Reef, Struisbaai Harbour Wedge, Struisbaai Point, Struisbaai Reef.

The trip from Struisbaai, 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 Struisbaai

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.