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Cape St Francis Surf Report

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SURF RATING
FAIR
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.
WAVE
2.0 m
SWELL
1.8m @ 7s
WIND
14 km/h Cross-shore
WATER
17.0°C

★★★☆☆

Fair — worth a paddle: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.

Swell: 1.8 m @ 7 s (SW)

Wave height: 2.0 m

Wind: 14 km/h WSW Cross-shore

Sea temp: 17.0 °C · Wetsuit: 3/2 mm full wetsuit

Best window today: 18:00–20:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
32% match
Today: off its ideal window today
🌊 Wave type
Point / reef (right)
🧭 Best swell
S groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
N offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Intermediate–advanced
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.

🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now

Cross-shore windwave direction
  • Short, wind-driven SW swell at 7s is wrapping into the bank
  • 14 km/h cross-shore wind gives some texture
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Cape St Francis surf mission card
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🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Offshore01:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Cross02:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 11km/h Cross03:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 15km/h Cross04:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 18km/h Cross05:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 16km/h Cross06:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 16km/h Cross07:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.1m chest-head · 16km/h Cross08:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.1m chest-head · 18km/h Cross09:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 22km/h Cross10:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 21km/h Cross11:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 17km/h Cross12:00 — Fun (★★★) · 2.0m chest-head · 14km/h Cross13:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore14:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 13km/h Onshore15:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 12km/h Onshore16:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 10km/h Onshore17:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 7km/h Onshore18:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 4km/h Onshore19:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.9m chest-head · 0km/h Offshore20:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 3km/h Offshore21:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 5km/h Offshore22:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 7km/h Offshore23:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 9km/h Offshorenow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
3/2 mm full wetsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
🦶 Bring
Booties for the rocks
☀️Midday:Warmer but often windier; moderate crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
WedThuFriSatSun0.0m1.5m3.0m01428now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Tue 13 Oct ★★★☆☆ 2.1 m 7 s SW 14 km/h Cross
Wed 14 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.0 m 8 s SSW 26 km/h Cross
Thu 15 Oct ★★★☆☆ 3.0 m 10 s SW 11 km/h Onshore
Fri 16 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.6 m 9 s SW 13 km/h Cross
Sat 17 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.4 m 8 s SW 19 km/h Cross
Sun 18 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.8 m 9 s SW 16 km/h Cross
Mon 19 Oct ★★★★☆ 2.4 m 9 s SW 25 km/h Cross

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00H 04:40L 10:35H 16:51L 22:58now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 05:39 · Sunset 18:33 · Peak UV 6

Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.

Shop SPF 50 sunscreen →

Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Cape St Francis

Crayonised aerial map of Cape St Francis
Seal Point
Rock & reef
Beach break
Take-off / peakHazard rocksPeak

Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.

About Cape St Francis — Surf Local Knowledge

Cape St Francis sits on a rugged, rocky cape at the western edge of St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape, about 40 kilometres from Jeffreys Bay. Its star wave is Seal Point, a long, exposed point that breaks below the lighthouse and reef.

Seal Point is a right-hand point break in the same family as Supertubes but longer, gentler and more forgiving, with workable walls rather than heaving barrels — a superb spot to build speed and practise carves. It is consistent year-round, reputedly offering around 150 quality days a year, and works best on a south to south-south-east swell with offshore north-westerly winds. Suited to intermediate surfers wanting a J-Bay-style right; the main hazards are the shallow rocks and reef, plus kelp.

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