Cape Town & Blouberg, South Africa

About Cape Town & Blouberg

Blouberg is the stretch of coast north of Cape Town where the whole city stands as a backdrop — Table Mountain across the bay, Robben Island offshore, and the South Atlantic delivering swell onto a run of beaches that has made this one of the sport's great destinations.

The wind is the south-easter, known locally as the Cape Doctor for the way it clears the city's air. It blows through the southern summer from October to March, peaking December to February, and it strengthens through the afternoon — which is why riders looking for less than thirty knots go out in the morning on a strong forecast.

The beaches divide clearly. Sunset Beach is where the downwinders start, with the wind arriving earlier and harder and a substantial shore break to negotiate. Dolphin Beach is the popular one, known for well-spaced wave sets of one to four metres, and it gets crowded enough that going upwind for space is the standard advice. Big Bay holds longer wave breaks with swells around four metres and cross-onshore wind that fills in later.

The water is cold — 18 to 21°C, a 4/3 wetsuit — and the air, at around 23°C in the windy season, feels considerably colder when it is blowing. What you get in exchange is a world city, the winelands an hour away, and King of the Air every summer.

When to go

Best months: January, February, March, October, November, December.

Kite areas

2 distinct riding areas documented within this destination.

• Dolphin Beach

  Best months: October, November, December, January, February, March.

• Sunset Beach

  Best months: October, November, December, January, February, March.