South Africa: coastal playground
South Africa is one of the top surfing countries in the world, with sublime coastal scenery and consistent high-quality surf. We also offer great sailing, sea kayaking and surfskiing - and some of the best wind and kite surfing in the world.
Surfing in South Africa
"South Africa is one of the top surfing countries in the world, with sublime coastal scenery, consistent high-quality surf, a cheap but high standard of living, and a unique culture to be proud of."
So says Steve Pike of website Wavescape - and few visitors disagree. There are hundreds of surf breaks all along our coast. The best known spots are around Cape Town, Durban, Jeffreys Bay and East London, but there are loads of great, virtually unsurfed waves besides these.
Our surf ranges from safe swells for beginners to epic breaks that scare even hardened competitors in the international contests held in the country.
The many backpackers hostels around the country are geared up for board rental, escorted surfaris and surfing lessons, and there are dedicated surf schools in Durban, Cape Town and many of the smaller coastal towns.
The area of the Eastern Cape around Cape St Francis, Jeffreys Bay and Port Elizabeth - collectively known as "J Bay" by local surfers - is world-famous for the quality of its waves.
South Africa is home to a six-star rated World Championship Tour event, the Billabong Pro at Supertubes in Jeffreys Bay - said to be capable of producing "the perfect wave" - as well as two six-star rated World Qualifying Series events: the long-standing Mr Price Pro (formerly the Gunston 500) in Durban, and the Quiksilver Pro Durban.
And the annual Red Bull Big Wave Africa is the world's second-longest running big wave surfing event, after the Quiksilver Eddie Aikau event at Waimea Bay in Hawaii. It takes place at the Dungeons reef at the mouth of Hout Bay in Cape Town, renowned for its ability to produce the biggest rideable waves on the coast of Africa.
Wind and kite surfing, sea kayaking, surfskiing
South Africa has awesome windsurfing and kitesurfing spots. Langebaan, near Cape Town, is internationally recognised as one of the top boardsailing venues in the world - and there are others.
A more accessible way to experience the sea is in a specially designed sea kayak. There are escorted trips around Cape Town, Hermanus, Knysna, Plett and Durban.
For more of a challenge in the way of paddling, try your hand at surfskiing. Surfskis are exciting craft: fast, responsive - and with the approximate stability of a razor blade balanced on its edge!
Durban's Surf Ski World Cup, first held in 2006, boasts the biggest prize money in the sport, and has been officially accredited by the International Canoe Federation - the first time a surf ski world cup event has received ICF recognition.
- Cape Sports Centre kayaking
- Cape Sports Centre kite surfing
- Cape Sports Centre Windsurfing
- Coastal Kayak, Cape Town
- Downhill Adventures sea kayaking
- KSA - Kitesurf SA
- Paddle Yak Sea Kayak
- Surfski.co.za
- Wavesailing Western Cape
Sailing
South Africa's coastline is one of the most challenging in the world to sail, with few harbours, stormy conditions and, often, very rough seas. So it's not a good bareboat option.
However, it's a great place to learn to sail. There are sailing schools in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban, and we feature on all the major round-the-world races.
There are loads of local races, too, and the Cape to Rio is one of the most accessible ocean crossing races in the world, attracting a large cruising contingent.
SAinfo reporter and South African Tourism
