🇿🇦 EASTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA

Jeffrey's Bay

The world's most perfect point break

FAIR

Live Conditions

Conditions Summary

Solid 10ft swell — but short 9s period indicates wind swell, expect choppy conditions — but swell direction is marginal for this spot — 15mph onshore wind roughing up the surface — Note: this is outside the peak season for this spot

LOW CONFIDENCEModel-only forecast, no buoy nearby

Why it's FAIR

Swell Direction

Primary swell is 140° — wrong angle. This spot needs 225° swells to break properly.

Swell Period

9s — short-period swell. Waves will have less power than a true groundswell.

Wind

15mph onshore — will chop up the surface and ruin wave shape

Season

September is shoulder season — spot can still work but swells are less consistent

Data Confidence

Model-only forecast, no buoy nearby

At the Break

10.0ft

LOW CONFIDENCE

Model-only forecast, no buoy nearby

Period

Mid-period

Wind

15mph

ONSHORE

Water

61°F

3/2 wetsuit

Swell Direction

35%

Wind Direction

20%

Primary Swell

6.6ft @ 8.6s

SE 140°

Secondary Swell

4.3ft @ 10.8s

S 178°

9 Day Outlook

11.0ft

TODAY

Sep 13

(10s)

10.2ft

TMRW

Sep 14

(10s)

6.0ft

TUE

Sep 15

(10s)

5.8ft

WED

Sep 16

(9s)

6.9ft

THU

Sep 17

(9s)

6.6ft

FRI

Sep 18

(8s)

7.0ft

SAT

Sep 19

(8s)

6.2ft

SUN

Sep 20

(9s)

6.0ft

MON

Sep 21

(9s)

Best this week: today — 11.0ft

Best next week: SUN Sep 20 — 6.2ft

Incoming Swell Events

Today

epic

Major swell arriving — 11.0ft @ 10s

Model Breakdown

ECMWF (45%)9.7ft

ICON (35%)10.4ft

GFS (20%)No data

Model confidence65%

Updated every 30 mins · Open-Meteo ECMWF + ICON + GFS

About

J-Bay is one of the seven wonders of the surfing world. The right-hand point break at Supertubes runs for up to 800m on a good swell, perfectly walling and sectioning through Kitchen Windows, Supertubes, and Impossibles. It's the venue for the WSL Championship Tour and the gold standard for long, fast, hollow right-handers.

The Break

Supertubes — the main event, a long warping right that barrels through multiple sections.

Ideal Conditions

6-8ft SW groundswell, light NW offshores, incoming tide

Best Months

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Best months highlighted · Current: Sep

Trip Planner

J-Bay Long Weekend

Weekend · 3 Days

Friday

Fly into Port Elizabeth (PLZ), 1hr drive to J-Bay. Check into a beachfront guesthouse. Walk Supertubes and scope the swell.

Saturday

Dawn patrol at Supertubes. Surf all day if conditions hold. Tuck Inn Lodge braai in the evening.

Sunday

Morning surf, drive back to Port Elizabeth, fly home.

South Africa Surf Safari

Full Week · 7 Days

Day 1

Arrive Port Elizabeth, drive to J-Bay, settle in.

Day 2

Full day Supertubes if swell is firing. Longboard at Point on smaller days.

Day 3

Explore Boneyards and Kitchen Windows — different parts of the break have different characters.

Day 4

Day trip to Cape St. Francis — the perfect point Endless Summer was written about.

Day 5

Back to J-Bay. Drifters for lunch, afternoon surf sess.

Day 6

Drive the Garden Route, stop at Victoria Bay — a gem of a right-hander.

Day 7

Fly home from Port Elizabeth.

Local Knowledge

The WSL contest runs in July — the town fills up but the waves are usually at their best.

Sharks are present at J-Bay — surf with awareness, dawn and dusk are higher-risk times.

The right is so long you'll be exhausted walking back up the point — pace yourself.

Winter (June-August) is peak surf season — cold water but spectacular waves.

Cape Town is 6 hours west by road — worth adding to the trip for culture and city life.