Surfing in South Africa in September

Conditions in September

Water temp. : 17 °C
Wetsuit : 3/2 mm, 4/3 mm for long sessions

September is the last month counted in the J-Bay season, and it behaves like it. The Southern Ocean lows are tracking further south, so the back-to-back swells of July and August become a swell and then a gap, but the ones that arrive still carry the period the point wants.

That makes September a month for people who can wait. The winter crowd has gone home, the westerlies are still around often enough, and the water is at 17°C for the last month before it starts climbing. Spring on the Eastern Cape is dry and the days are getting longer.

Learning in September

For learning : Good

Not yet. The size drops through the month but the coast is still a winter coast until the swells stop.

Where a beginner goes in September

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Very good

The end of the run, with the beaches back to themselves. Take a longer trip and let the forecast pick the days.

How September compares

All twelve months, side by side

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.