Quick summary
- Overall recommendationMarch – OctoberBest all-round conditions
- Best for beginnersNovember – MarchMellow waves, smaller crowds
Surf conditions by month
Pick a month to see the detail
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | ||||||||||||
| Swell | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Period | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Air temp. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Water temp. | 21° | 21° | 20° | 19° | 18° | 18° | 17° | 17° | 17° | 18° | 18° | 20° |
| Wetsuit | Shorty or 2 mm | Shorty or 2 mm | 3/2 mm fullsuit | 3/2 mm fullsuit | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions | 3/2 mm fullsuit |
| Learning |
May in South Africa
Excellent- m
- 18° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Off season
The full guide to MayJune in South Africa
Excellent- m
- 18° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Off season
The full guide to JuneJuly in South Africa
Excellent- m
- 17° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Off season
The full guide to JulyAugust in South Africa
Excellent- m
- 17° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Off season
The full guide to AugustSeptember in South Africa
Very good- m
- 17° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Good
The full guide to SeptemberOctober in South Africa
Very good- m
- 18° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Good
The full guide to OctoberNovember in South Africa
Good- m
- 18° · 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions
- h
Learning : Very good
The full guide to NovemberWhich month for you
Six ways to arrive here, six different answers. Each is computed from the table above: correct a row and the recommendation follows.
I have never surfed
November – March
Pleasant sandbars, and a budget that does not disappear into high season.
I want to progress
March
Enough swell to work on, not so much that it picks the spot for you.
I came for the points
March – October
The country's headline breaks at their best.
I want the swell without the crowd
Not rated for this country yet
Nobody has scored these months, which is not the same as no month suiting you.
I am travelling cheap
Not rated for this country yet
Nobody has scored these months, which is not the same as no month suiting you.
I want the warmest water
December – March
A shorty rather than a fullsuit, and long sessions without thinking about it.
Learning: there is a spot in every month of the year
No month is closed to beginners, and the table above does not say otherwise: the Surf row rates the headline breaks, not the sheltered beaches. What the month changes is the size of the waves, and so the choice of spot, not whether you get in the water.
The spots that stay reachable all year
Best region by month
See all regionsWeather month by month
A mild climate all year. Average temperature, sunshine and rainfall, month by month.
Average air temperature
Sunshine hours per day
Rainy days per month
Where these figures come from
Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.
Join the Bookawave adventure
Get our exclusive guides, good deals and surf trip inspiration.
No spam, just surf.