This stretch of coast looks dry and barren. But it is one of the most nutrient-rich areas in the world. It teems with sea life, fed by plankton and kelp that is upwelled from the deep water.
The water is coldish all year around, due to the attentions of the icy Benguela Current, but does get warmer in winter around Cape Town because the southeaster stops blowing, which means the warmer surface water stops getting blown out to sea.
The sea temperature varies between 11 and 20 deg C. Characterised by long white beaches and rocky outcrops, or points, there are several peninsulas, or large hook-shaped headlands. In several instances, the best waves are on the north-facing side of these headlands. Good for long left-hand point breaks, such as Elands Bay.
The land looks dry, but hosts a range of fascinating plants, particularly the bizarre array of succulent semi-desert plants. It comes alive in spring when millions upon millions of flowers blossom to carpet the earth in a myriad colours. In terms of surf, there is plenty to choose from. The best conditions occur when a strong groundswell pushes up from the south before a cold front.
The weather is still clear and the wind pattern has locked on to a warm northeasterly berg wind, the precursor to a swing to the northwest as the front approaches. This makes for big clean waves textured into glassy perfection by the offshore.
Thanks to 'Spike' at Wavescape for the lowdown on the West Coast Surf Spots.
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South of the border
Paradise
Paradise is a right point break that works on smaller swell than Sampson's Bak. Runs along rocks on the inside after a reform wedges over a rocky ledge. ****
Samson's Bak
Named breaks in the area are Sampsons Bak, a powerful right-hand point break that delivers some epic waves when conditions are right: a solid 6-8' groundswell, light offshore and pushing tide. Kelpy and cold. Full steamers a necessity. *****
Trailer Bay
Trailer bay is a similar set up to Elands bay, without the crowds and walling up to give a freight train ride. Gets pretty scary because it walls up over a solid block of rock, then swings outward and into a small bay. ****
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Namaqualand
This vast expanse of semi-desert is a paradise for fleshy desert succulents. There are numerous surf spots, but you will need a four-wheel drive, lots of provisions and some local knowledge. Word has it that several secret spots deliver epic surf. *****
Strandfontein
Fun but fickle righthand beachbreak. Sandbanks shift around a lot in rippy conditions. Best in calm or berg winds during a small to medium swell and incoming tide. ***
Doring Bay
Left reef break. There is an inside section that runs along rocks. Needs a light SE wind or glassy Easterly winds. Best on a clean 4-6' groundswell. ****
Donkin Bay
Left point break. Needs a solid 10' + storm swell, preferably in winter. A reef on the outside blocks off much of the force. Like Elands bay, it copes with SW winds. Works on a low tide. Likely to be working if Elands is out of control. ***
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Lamberts Bay
In front of the river mouth, near the caravan park, are sandbanks that offer some waves on the low tide. Best in a light wind with a moderate swell. ***
Garbage dumps
There are two waves named Garbage Dumps Rights and Lefts. The right is a point break with slow moving walls. The left is also a point break, best on the low tide. The ride ends in front of a rocky shelf. East winds are offshore and it needs a biggish swell before it works. Lots of kelp around. ***
Farmer Burgers
A rocky shelf just south of Lambert's Bay produces a fun, sometimes classic 2-5 foot wave, as long as conditions are glassy or a NE berg wind is blowing. So named after a nearby farmer called, you guessed it, Mr Burger, a legend in the area. ****
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Elands Bay
The Jay Bay of the West Coast. In the right conditions, this waves gets classic. A rocky, kelp covered shelf, or small point, which turns a corner and becomes sand at a small river mouth. The swell refracts around the outer area of Elands Bay and peaks at the point, producing a hollow take-off and cylindrical wall that runs for about 150 metres. Needs a solid SW swell of 8' before it wraps around the point. If Cape Town is a solid 6-8', and the northern suburbs are 3-4', chances are Elands will be 3-5'. Handles any S wind. Dominant wind is SE. *****
Stompneus
Another West Coast lefthander. It's a point that needs a strong SW swell to wrap around the rocks, giving enough juice to turn on the inside bowl, which faces due North. It easily handles a SW wind, and needs a a mid- to high tide. Best in huge winter groundswells (10-20') and Southerly winds. There is an outside reef that prefers a low tide. Also requires a solid swell, but more exposed. ****
Pastures
On the northern side of a headland called Shelly Point, north of Saldanha Bay. This place gets good, but not all that often. A pointy lefthander that needs a huge ocean swell for it to start breaking. Offshore winds are SW-SE. Lots of fun. A mellow point break. Fickle. ****
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Hell
The wild side of the spot called Heaven. A bit wild and rocky, but gets good in SE or SW. ***
Heaven
Befriend a local to take you there as a special guest. Otherwise you won't find it. When a raging 15-20' storm swell is pummelling the Cape peninsula just before or after a cold front has passed, Cape Town surfers say "Let's go to Heaven". This small rock bottomed reef/point will be in the 6'+ range. A kelpy foamy cauldron of Atlantic juice, Heaven throws up a thick-lipped wall for about 80 metres, with a stomach-churning bowl section halfway down. Not for the faint hearted. Best in glassy conditions or light NE berg winds. Can't handle strong wind, but handles light Westerly, or even SW or S, as long as it's light. *****
Cape St Martin
Fun little lefthander on a kelpy reef. Works on a Southerly or SE wind. Picks up more swell than Heaven or Pastures. Similar swell size to Elands. ***
Trekoskraal
Fun little camping spot with excellent crayfish diving. A small righthander that rolls into a small deep bay. Needs specific deep groundswell conditions and light Easterly or berg wind conditions. Not very consistent. **
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Vredenberg Point
A lefthand point break. Needs high tides, a clean 4-8' groundswell and light glassy variable winds, or a NE berg wind offshore. Deep water off the rocks make it slightly scary, but it gets classic. Some distance north of Saldanha Bay. It's the same shape as the Kom. The wedge focuses on the impact zone, and pitches steeply. You have to paddle hard into it. Breaks in front of a boulder, or next to it. If you make the drop, you whizz down a rearing wall. It's almost like a miniature Outer Kom. However, it's usually a bit out of control when the swell is more than 5'. It's powerful for its size. Good in small swell and glassy berg breezes. Doesn't like wind. Faster and more powerful than Elands bay, but more fickle. ****
Swartriet
You need to pay a small toll to enter the beach area. A peaking, fun beachbreak that works in 2-4' conditions and light SE-NE breezes or glassy conditions. ***
Yzerfontein
Good option if you want to get away from Cape Town for a couple of hours. The break is sometimes referred to as Schaap Eiland. It's a crunchy wedge-shaped wave that breaks over a flat slab of rock, then links with sand bars on the beach. More often than not, a freight train close-out is the result, but occasionally this wave is insanely hollow, and could host a Cape Town tourist bus inside it. Needs glassy or berg wind conditions. ****
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Silwerstroom
When the swell is tiny on the peninsula and the ocean is glassy, surfers often get lucky at Silwerstroom (Silver Stream). A sandbar close to the beach produces right of left peaks, sometimes approaching excellent quality. However, the owner has banned surfers from accessing it. Access by road is blocked, and you have to walk quite far to get there, from the boom gate at the entrance.****
Kreefte Reef
Bowling right-hander breaks on the outside when big. Medium swell and low tide. ****
Van Riebeek
Fickle beachbreak in Melkbos (North of Ou Skip caravan park). Mushy but can be good fun. Best in light NE winds and small swell. **
Captains
Fickle reef/sand breaks in Melkbos (22nd Avenue). Consistency depends on sandbanks and conditions. Best in light SE or NE. Doesn't like big swell. Best in 2-4' clean groundswell. Fun peaks. ***
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Beach Road
A classic righthand sandbar point at Melkbos (11th Avenue). It is protected by an outer reef. Works in light SW or SE winds and a big groundswell. The outside is best in the low tide, while the inside cooks on the high. ****
Holbaai
Between Haakgat and Melkbos. Little dust road and small dunes. Beach break peaks. ***
Haakgat
Sectiony left point and beach breaks, inconsistent and exposed, depends on sandbank, boiling reef section at the left point. Needs a high tide. The break is 30 m out and parallel to the beach. A line of rocks stop at Haakgat. A-frame peaks at the back go right across the rocks, but are difficult to ride. ***
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Derde Steen
A fun beach break about 25 minutes north of Cape Town. It can't handle a big swell, nor too much wind. At it's best in glassy 2-5' foot conditions, left and right peaks can provide lots of entertainment. ****
Tweede Steen
A similar beach break setup to Derde Steen, except a lot more fickle and lacking the same quality. **
Eerste Steen
Hollow peaking beachbreaks on the coast road Melkbos. ***
Horse Trails
So named due to the nearby estate of Terence Millard, a famous racehorse trainer. His house is the only one around, and boasts a traffic light for grooms to take horses across the road. It is a hollow peak beach break. Can be seen if you stand on top of your car at the road. Breaks slightly different to Derde Steen. A-frames break in small swell up to 5 feet. ***
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Kamer van 17
A left sandy point. It's pretty sectiony. Works in SE winds or on a calm day. Best on the low tide in a moderate swell. The spot is situated on the other side of the outcrop of rocks at the end of Big Bay. ****
Big Bay
A windy beachbreak popular with sailboarders. When big, A-frames break on the outside, then reform before hitting the shorebreak. Sometimes there are good banks here, but it gets very crowded. Best in berg winds, or calm conditions. Can be disorganised and messy. ***
Little Bay
Marginal beach break. Enough said. Hangout for rats of the human kind. **
Tableview
In front of the old Doodles Restaurant. Similar to Blouberg (Big Bay). Deep outer sand bars break in bigger swell, while the shorebreak sand banks break on the reform or standalone waves when it's smaller. Can't cope with too much wind. Crowded, but lots of peaks available, varying in quality and length of ride. Difficult to get really good waves, due to an unreasonable reform that sometimes waits for the shorebreak before it decides to break. ***
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Sunset beach
Scattered beachbreaks at relatively new suburb called Sunset. Can get quite good in light NE winds and a solid 8' ocean groundswell, which translates to shifty 4-5' peaks, with a long walling right when at its best. ***
Milnerton
The closer to the city, the smaller the swell because the swell window begins to disappear, with the coast blocked by the northern corner of the Cape peninsula. This is the case at Milnerton, where a long stretch of empty beach has a few waves. Best when a huge groundswell is runing on the other side, and it's glassy or light to moderate southeasterly. ***
Dumps
A fickle wave that gets good on occasion. It's at the mouth of the Milnerton lagoon. Best on a high tide and a big, clean Westerly groundswell and light Berg winds. **
The Wedge
Tucked away in the corner near Cape Town harbour, The Wedge is the first surf spot on the stretch of beach that runs all the way to Blouberg. You have to park in the harbour and clamber over concrete dolloses to access this spot. The swell does weird and wonderful things here. As it refracts round the harbour wall, it bounces and travels sideways to join another swell in a sharp triangular peak that can be very hollow at times. However, the takeoff is often the best part of the wave, because it devotes most of its energy to the initial barrel. Best in any East wind. Needs a huge general swell to filter all the way around to the Wedge. ***
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