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South Africa Surf Trips

South Africa is where SA Surf Adventures started and where our crew grew up surfing — the cold Atlantic left points of the West Coast, and the right-hand points of Jeffreys Bay on the Eastern Cape. One trip is open for booking, the next on 13–21 February 2027.

Why surf South Africa

Experience the warm water right-hand points and pristine beaches of the Garden Route extending to the world-famous Jeffrey's Bay. This comprehensive journey combines the scenic beauty of the Garden Route with the legendary waves of J-Bay.

Pristine West Coast with world-class surfing, professional coaching, premium accommodations, and authentic safari experiences. Small-group expeditions with dynamic site selection for optimal conditions.

South Africa surf trips & dates

Surf conditions & best time to go

February on the West Coast. High summer: long hot days, big Atlantic sunsets and a reliable rhythm of glassy mornings before the afternoon sea breeze. The Benguela current keeps the ocean cold — that's what keeps this coast wild, empty and full of life.

May on the Eastern Cape. Late autumn is JBay's season. The South Atlantic and Southern Ocean start pushing proper groundswell up the coast, the prevailing wind swings offshore from the west, and the water is still warm enough for a 4/3. Daytime air sits in the low twenties; evenings get genuinely cool, so bring layers.

  • Air & Sunshine: Air: 25-32°C (77-90°F) Sunrise sessions, long golden evenings
  • Water — bring rubber: Water: 13-17°C (55-63°F) 4/3 wetsuit recommended; booties optional
  • Air: 20–23 °C by day 10–13 °C after dark — bring a fleece
  • Water: 17–19 °C 4/3 wetsuit and booties
  • Swell: Autumn S/SW groundswell — JBay's prime season Cape St Francis as the small-day backup
  • Wind: Offshore W/NW most mornings Dawn patrols are usually the cleanest

The breaks we surf in South Africa

  • Yzerfontein Main Beach (All levels) — Our home break, two minutes from the villa.
  • Pearl Bay (Beginner–Intermediate) — The next bay along — softer, more protected peaks when the main beach gets punchy.
  • 16 Mile Beach (Swell-dependent) — An enormous, empty stretch of sand running south toward the West Coast National Park.
  • Elands Bay (Intermediate–Advanced · mission day) — One of South Africa's great left-hand points.
  • Paternoster (Swell-dependent) — A whitewashed fishing village with fun, shifting beach-break peaks.
  • Melkbos (All levels) — Melkbos offers several surf spots in a small area amidst a thriving West Coast surf scene.
  • West Coast National Park (All levels) — Just down the road from our Villa location, one of the most beautiful wild and raw beaches on the whole west coast with long stretches of white sandy beaches and loads of waves to choose from.
  • Supertubes (Intermediate–Advanced) — OUT OF THE FRONT GATE.
  • Boneyards (Advanced) — OUT OF THE FRONT GATE.
  • Kitchen Windows (Beginner–Intermediate) — A short walk down the boardwalk.
  • The Point & Albatross (Intermediate) — A short walk down the boardwalk.
  • Magnatubes (Advanced) — Short, square and heavy, north of Boneyards.
  • Seal Point, Cape St Francis (Intermediate) — Forty minutes west, a long right-hand point under the lighthouse that works when JBay goes flat or onshore.
  • Victoria Bay (Beginner–Intermediate) — EXTENSION ONLY.
  • Mossel Bay — Inner Pool & Ding Dangs (Intermediate) — EXTENSION ONLY.
  • Herolds Bay & Buffalo Bay (Beginner–Intermediate) — EXTENSION ONLY.
  • Muizenberg & Long Beach, Kommetjie (Beginner–Intermediate) — EXTENSION ONLY.

Coaching & video analysis

  • 6 coached surf days — RSJ Surf Academy coaching + video analysis
  • RSJ Surf Academy coaching every session, in the water with you, plus nightly video analysis
  • Professional photography and videography of the whole trip — yours to keep
  • Video review sessions

Where you stay

Atlantica — your seafront villa in Yzerfontein. The whole house is ours for the week — exclusive use, right on the seafront with uninterrupted 180° ocean views, a private pool, and the beach two minutes from the front door. Check the surf from the deck with your morning coffee.

The beach house, on the point. This is the part that's hard to believe until you see it. The house stands on the grassed point above the reef, and the wave breaks across the front of it. Between your room and the water there is a deck, a lawn, our own boardwalk along the edge of the dune and a short flight of wooden steps down onto a pocket of sand between the rock ledges — which is the paddle-out. That's the whole journey to the surf. And it isn't a bunkhouse. Six guest rooms, and five of them are private queens — you get your own room, not a bed in someone else's. Four look over Supertubes, one of them straight down the racetrack. Room 1 is the only twin, with two singles, a sea view and the balcony everyone ends up on. Inside it's a proper beach house: pitched ceilings, exposed timber beams, ceiling fans, wooden floors, white linen, and glass to the roofline on the ocean side. There's no formal lounge — the social heart of this house is outdoors. Room 3 opens onto a garden with a braai and a fire pit looking straight at the point, and that is where the group ends up every evening, watching Supers do its thing with a beer in hand. We take the whole house for the week: seven surfers, the crew, nobody else. All meals are cooked for you and your laundry is done. On the Garden Route extension you stay in comfortable guesthouse rooms in Cape Town, Mossel Bay, the Victoria Bay / George area and Plettenberg Bay before moving into the house on day five.

Getting there

Flights are not included — you book your own, from wherever you live. Airport transfers are included. Airport transfers are included in your package. Our team meets you at Cape Town International arrivals and drives you straight up the coast to the villa — you'll be checking the surf from the deck about an hour and a quarter after walking out of the terminal.

Flights are not included — you book your own, from wherever you live. Airport transfers are included. , both versions. Gqeberha airport pick-up and drop-off is part of the price for everyone, and extension guests are collected at Cape Town on arrival. All surf and excursion transport in between is ours.

Meet the crew

South Africa surf trip FAQs

Are flights included? No. You book your own flights from wherever you live, so you can fly from your nearest airport.

How many people are on each trip? Groups are small — a maximum of 7 surfers. That is what lets the coaching be individual.

What surf level do I need? The breaks we use here suit beginner to advanced surfers, and your coaches choose the break each day to suit the group. Each trip page gives its own recommended level, and the surf level check on the site will point you to the right trip.

Is video analysis included? Yes. 6 coached surf days — RSJ Surf Academy coaching + video analysis.

What isn't included? Return flights. Core trip: into Gqeberha (PLZ) and out of Gqeberha. With the Garden Route extension: OPEN-JAW — into Cape Town (CPT), out of Gqeberha (PLZ). Do not book a simple return if you're taking the extension; Board bag carriage (~£60–75 each way on most carriers); Travel insurance (required — must cover surfing, and we check it before you fly); All drinks, alcoholic and soft; Airport taxes, visas and any UK airport parking; Optional add-ons: Bloukrans bungee (£120), Skydive Jeffreys Bay (£185), Featherfoot horse ride (£75), lagoon kayaking (£45).

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