Still Bay • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (May - August)

Still Bay's premium months are locked into the austral winter. As the South Atlantic high pressure shifts north and the sub-polar low-pressure belt strengthens, a conveyor belt of cold fronts and mid-latitude cyclones forms in the 'Roaring Forties'. This pumps a consistent stream of S/SSW/SW groundswell toward the South African coast, bumping average swell heights up to 2.1-2.2m (7-7.2ft) with periods of 12-12.4s. At the same time, the post-frontal wind flow out of the N/NNW quadrant gives Still Bay clean offshore to cross-offshore conditions, and ideal wind windows peak at 47-58%. Water temperatures fall to 14.9-16°C, so it is a winter wetsuit gig, but those cold, glassy dawns on an SSE-facing beach are worth it. When a deep low-pressure system lingers in the south-west Atlantic and sends long-period SW swell under a NW wind, the bay can absolutely fire.

Fair Surf Season (March - April & September - October)

The shoulder seasons are a mix of late-summer trades and early-winter frontal systems. March and April still see plenty of E/ESE winds, but the swell becomes more organised as the average period climbs past 11s. September and October are the reverse: the ocean holds 2.1-2.2m (7ft) S-SSW groundswell from the fading winter storm track, while the SE trade re-establishes itself. Ideal wind percentages sit around 22-35%, so the trick is timing - dawn patrol windows before the sea breeze, or the days immediately behind a cold front when N-NNW flow cleans the lines. The surf can match anything from the core winter months, just with less consistency.

Low Surf Season (November - February)

The summer months are Still Bay's most challenging for consistent, clean surf. The South Atlantic high edges south-east and the thermal low over the interior draws in a persistent E-ESE wind, which is cross-onshore at this SSE-facing beach. Those trades combine for roughly a third of the wind distribution, while ideal offshore windows shrink to just 13-17%. Average swell heights remain 1.9-2.0m (6-6.5ft) and periods hold in the 10.6-10.9s range - signals of more windswell mixing in with S/SSW groundswell. Water temperatures climb back to 20-21°C and the weather is beautiful, but onshore chop and afternoon sea breezes keep the average quality well below the winter standard. Still, an early-morning N/NNW land breeze with a fading SSW swell can produce surprisingly fun, rippable waves, so it is never completely flat.