Cape St Francis • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (October - March)

Cape St Francis is a direction-sensitive, northeast-facing stretch of the South African coast, and that shapes everything about its surf calendar. The months from October through March are the clear sweet spot. The ocean is still feeding on long-period Southern Ocean groundswell, with average swell heights easing from 9ft (2.8m) in October to a manageable 8ft (2.5m) by midsummer, and periods holding in the powerful 10.9-11.4s range. More importantly, the true E-angled swell that actually works on this beach reaches its highest annual frequency during this window, while the fully clean wind window shows up 29-31 percent of the time from December through March. Warm water in the 18-20°C range, pleasant air temperatures, and the South Atlantic high's tendency to deliver light westerly offshore morning breezes all combine to make October through March the best bet for quality surf.

Fair Surf Season (April, May & September)

April, May and September are shoulder-season months. The Southern Ocean is revved up, with average swell heights of 9-10ft (2.7-3.0m) and periods of 11.8-12.2s, but the swell direction bias is heavily toward SW and SSW, leaving less of the E content this break needs. Easterly winds can still contaminate the lineup in September and April, while May gets cleaner westerly flow. Ideal wind percentages sit around 26-28 percent. It is not all bad - the sheer size and period of the swell means the occasional E-window day will be memorable - but consistency is harder to find.

Low Surf Season (June - August)

The heart of winter, June through August, is the low season for Cape St Francis despite having the biggest swells of the year. Average heights peak at 10ft (3.1m) with 12.2-12.5s periods, but nearly all of that energy comes from the SW/SSW quadrant, aimed away from a northeast-facing beach. E-angled swell drops to less than 1 percent, and the ideal wind percentage sinks to 25-26 percent. Strong westerly and northwesterly winds accompany deep mid-latitude cyclones, making conditions at the spot raw, lumpy, and often cross-shore. Winter rewards only the most patient surfer and the rare day when the swell angle swings east and the wind finds an offshore southwest direction.