Big Bay, South Africa is a Chop, Small waves and Medium waves spot. It is a kitesurfing spot for Intermediate riders, but Expert will love it.
Recommended
wind for kitesurfing is
wind coming
from
SE and SSE, S
.
There is
Food
available on the spot.
Have fun after the ride: enjoy
Nightlife
close to Big Bay, South Africa !
The spot presents a few things you need to be careful about.
Please refer to the
Riding Conditions section
below.
Big Bay, South Africa is a Chop, Small waves and Medium waves spot. It is a kitesurfing spot for Intermediate riders, but Expert will love it.
Recommended
wind for kitesurfing is
wind coming
from
SE and SSE, S
.
There is
Food
available on the spot.
Have fun after the ride: enjoy
Nightlife
close to Big Bay, South Africa !
The spot presents a few things you need to be careful about.
Please refer to the
Riding Conditions section
below.
How to get there
Take the R27 out of Cape Town (north). When getting into Tableview, turn left at the Dolphin Beach Hotel. Follow the road till you see the green tourist information house or KFC. The parking on your left is the central one. You really need a car, since there are a lot of spots around the area which you can only get to with a car.
Take the R27 out of Cape Town (north). When getting into Tableview, turn left at the Dolphin Beach Hotel. Follow the road till you see the green tourist information house or KFC. The parking on your left is the central one. You really need a car, since there are a lot of spots around the area which you can only get to with a car.
Long wetsuits needed all year round - although people were seen in shorties some times. Air around 30°C in the summer, down to 15°C in the winter. The water is pretty cold, around 10-15°C in the summer and 13-17°C in the winter. The longer the South Easter (prevailing summer wind) blows, the colder the surface water gets. Doesn't matter much in summer though.
Recommended
wind for kitesurfing is
wind coming
from
SE and SSE, S
.
The wind tends to be a touch weaker than in kite beach and tends to arrive a bit later (kite beach is upwind in a SE). When the wind gets very strong, it also tends to get gustier. Can be annoying at times. Wind mostly sideshore from the left. Due to slightly strange local effects, the wind is generally sideshore or onshore. In the summer, the wind is mostly S to SE, but of which are pretty exactly sideshore; this is the perfect wind (called Cape Dr.) and can get very strong at times - up to 40 knots. The wind tends to pick up in the mornings and get stronger. So if super strong winds are predicted, get there early! NW is mostly a bad weather or winter wind. Less reliable, but often associated with big waves. Surfing is possible all year round, although the summer months (December to March) have the best winds. In the winter, you will mostly find NW winds (from the right), although these come rarely. Steady winds. Sideshore: NNW and SSE.
Wind
usually
blows
from SE and SSE, S
on the spot.
The
best moments to come
to Big Bay, South Africa are
January, February, March and December
.
Wind and Weather Conditions
Wind and Weather Conditions
Long wetsuits needed all year round - although people were seen in shorties some times. Air around 30°C in the summer, down to 15°C in the winter. The water is pretty cold, around 10-15°C in the summer and 13-17°C in the winter. The longer the South Easter (prevailing summer wind) blows, the colder the surface water gets. Doesn't matter much in summer though.
Recommended
wind for kitesurfing is
wind coming
from
SE and SSE, S
.
The wind tends to be a touch weaker than in kite beach and tends to arrive a bit later (kite beach is upwind in a SE). When the wind gets very strong, it also tends to get gustier. Can be annoying at times. Wind mostly sideshore from the left. Due to slightly strange local effects, the wind is generally sideshore or onshore. In the summer, the wind is mostly S to SE, but of which are pretty exactly sideshore; this is the perfect wind (called Cape Dr.) and can get very strong at times - up to 40 knots. The wind tends to pick up in the mornings and get stronger. So if super strong winds are predicted, get there early! NW is mostly a bad weather or winter wind. Less reliable, but often associated with big waves. Surfing is possible all year round, although the summer months (December to March) have the best winds. In the winter, you will mostly find NW winds (from the right), although these come rarely. Steady winds. Sideshore: NNW and SSE.
Wind
usually
blows
from SE and SSE, S
on the spot.
The
best moments to come
to Big Bay, South Africa are
January, February, March and December
.
Beach and Tide Conditions
Big Bay, South Africa is a
Chop, Small waves and Medium waves spot.
The
launching/landing area
is reported to be of
Tidal size.
The beach is sometimes a bit short for the lines, depending on the tide. Quite a bit of kelp often around, but manageable.
Good wave spot when the wind gets stronger. Big Bay itself is quite a narrow spot with rocks on the left and right. Windsurfers usually stay there. Waves are incredibly clean just downwind of the rocks that are downwind (called Outers). The waves turn in behind the rocks, makes for a very clean water surface, nice!
Beach and Tide Conditions
Beach and Tide Conditions
Big Bay, South Africa is a
Chop, Small waves and Medium waves spot.
The
launching/landing area
is reported to be of
Tidal size.
The beach is sometimes a bit short for the lines, depending on the tide. Quite a bit of kelp often around, but manageable.
Good wave spot when the wind gets stronger. Big Bay itself is quite a narrow spot with rocks on the left and right. Windsurfers usually stay there. Waves are incredibly clean just downwind of the rocks that are downwind (called Outers). The waves turn in behind the rocks, makes for a very clean water surface, nice!
Need to know
There is
no beach users
reported here.
When you are on water,
be careful
of
Rocks
.
The is
no particular rules
reported
, but as a best practice,
talk to a local before you go on water.
Need to know
Need to know
There is
no beach users
reported here.
When you are on water,
be careful
of
Rocks
.
The is
no particular rules
reported
, but as a best practice,
talk to a local before you go on water.
No real rules or restrictions. Please watch out in the evenings, the sun sets in your face when sailing out, making it difficult to see other riders. Spot can get crowded, but there are plenty of other parking spots you can go to. Watch out for car thieves. It is best to go to a parking spot where an informal guard will watch over your car.
Webcams around Big Bay, South Africa
Webcams around Big Bay, South Africa
Weather Forecast for the next 10days
Wind and Temperature over the past years
Wind and Temperature over the past years
More about Kitesurfing in Cape Town
More about Cape Town
Wind stats in Cape Town...
Additional information
There are 5 kitesurf schools and 65 kitesurf spots in Cape Town.
Best months: January February March November December
Best months: January February March November December
