Explore / South Africa

Jeffreys Bay.

Now

  · updated 14 hours ago
swell
2.3m
11s
wind
11 kt
west
tide
0.71 m
rising
N E S W
▬ swell – wind
-34.50, 24.90
Next days outlook
beta

Thursday starts with a 2m southwest swell at 11 seconds under moderate NNW wind, building slightly through the day. Friday sees a fresh WSW swell surge to 5m at 11-12 seconds by evening under light NNW wind turning WSW and blown-out — marking the week’s peak. The swell holds SSW through the weekend with strong wind and heavy wind-sea, easing to 2.5m Sunday as wind shifts to WSW. Early week brings a mixed WSW/E swell at 9-12 seconds under strong WSW wind, then a clean S pulse at 9-13 seconds midweek under moderate SSE wind. Midweek SSW swell at 12-14 seconds builds under light E wind, then strengthens under strong ESE wind by Thursday. A second peak arrives Friday with 2.5m SSW swell at 12-16 seconds under strong E wind turning blown-out. Weekend

Swell height

<7s
7–11s
11–13s
13–15s
15–18s
18+s

 

Wave systems

  • primary
  • secondary
  • tertiary
  • wind sea

 

Power

small
solid / average
energetic
heavy

 

Wind speed

light
moderate
strong
blown out

 

Tide

 

Weather

 

Nearby regions

About Jeffreys Bay

Jeffreys Bay sits on South Africa’s Eastern Cape, 75 km south-west of Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), on a cape that bends west into the south Atlantic. The headline is Supertubes, a right point that runs 300 m through the heart of the bay. The cape’s sections run, top to bottom: Kitchen Windows, Magnatubes, Boneyards, Supertubes, Impossibles, Tubes, Point, and Albatross. On the rare swell that links Boneyards to the Point, the ride hits 1.1 km. J-Bay is the WSL Championship Tour’s South African stop, held at Supers in winter.

Peak runs May through September, when southern Atlantic storms send long-period south-west to south-south-west swell wrapping around the cape. June is the most consistent month, with the cleanest combination of swell and offshore mornings. The classic offshore is west-northwest to west-southwest, the dawn land breeze. By mid-afternoon the south-easter fills in and turns the open sections sideshore. Summer drops to small wind swell and onshores most days.

Water sits at 18 to 20 °C in August, 22 to 25 °C in February. A 3/2 through the surf season, a shorty in summer. The cape is in shark country: the 2015 attack on Mick Fanning during the WSL final happened in the Supertubes lineup. Spotters watch from the cliffs during the contest; off-season you’re on your own. Supers carries every visiting pro in winter; Boneyards is where the locals retreat. If Supers is twenty deep, walk south to Tubes or the Point. On a small swell, the Point still holds.

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