Cape Town Spot Guide

About Cape Town

The City of Cape Town doesn’t really have any surf spots. Most city beaches and bays were reclaimed many years ago to build an enormous harbor. The only real wave that breaks within the city zone is The Wedge.

Source: Cape Town Surf Guide

Ability Level

Intermediate - advanced

Beg Int Adv

It’s a wedge, and it barrels. You need a quick takeoff and good knowledge of riding barrels and side waves.

Local Vibe

Doable

Welcoming Intimidating

Used to be quite aggro with surfers from Milnerton and Pinelands, now pretty mellow.

Crowd Factor

Moderate

Mellow Heavy

Because it breaks so close to the shore and is generally quite small, Wedge gets busy.

Spot Rating

Fun

Poor Perfect

When it’s on, there are tricky takeoffs but barrels and air sections on most waves.

Shoulder Burn

Light

Light Exhausting

Short paddle out, lots of waves. You can catch so many waves without exertion.

Water Quality

Dirty

Clean Dirty

The water can get so dirty that it isn’t even worth going for a surf.

Additional Information

Hazards

Challenging access over slippery, slimy dolosse. And pollution from the nearby Black River.

Access

Sketchy, as it breaks inside the harbor zone. Between security checks and the occasional stopping of cars, sometimes there simply is no access. Then if you do get there, you have to jump off the dolosse to get into the water — very risky at high tide.

Bring Your

Shortboard

Seabed

Hard, compact sand.

Best Season

Wedge needs a big swell, and it needs an offshore. Otherwise, it collapses on itself. So usually autumn or spring.

Swell Consistency and Wind Overview

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