Jeffreys Bay

Jeffreys Bay, or J-Bay, is a town of around 27,000 people on the Eastern Cape coast that would be an ordinary holiday village if it were not for the wave. Supertubes is a right-hand point break that peels along a cobblestone reef for 300 m and more, and it has drawn surfers from around the world since the 1966 film The Endless Summer. The town has grown up around them.

Getting there

J-Bay is just off the N2 about 75 km south-west of Gqeberha, whose airport (Chief Dawid Stuurman International) is the nearest, with flights from Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Shuttle companies run airport transfers. The Baz Bus stops in town on its Cape Town to Gqeberha route, and minibus taxis leave for Gqeberha from Goedehoop and St Francis Street, taking about an hour. The town is flat and walkable, and bikes are easy to hire.

When to go

For surf, winter. The swell is biggest and most consistent from May to September, with June the most reliable month, when south-west groundswells meet offshore westerly winds. The World Surf League contest is held at Supertubes in July. The water is cold then, 15 to 18°C, so you need a proper wetsuit, a 4/3 or at least a 3/2, and some people add boots. In late summer the sea climbs to the low twenties and the waves are often small, which suits beginners and swimmers. The town’s Shell Festival is in September and the Unwind Winter Wine Festival falls in winter.

What to do

The point breaks run in a line down the coast: Kitchen Windows, Magna Tubes, Boneyards, Supertubes, Impossibles, Tubes, the Point and Albatross. Supertubes and Boneyards are for experienced surfers only and get crowded whenever they work; locals say arrive at dawn before the wind and the crowd. Albatross is the gentlest section and the beginner schools work the beaches. Hazards are rocks, rips and sharks (Mick Fanning’s encounter during the 2015 contest ended with him unharmed, but it happened here).

Dolphin Beach is the main swimming beach, with Kabeljous-on-Sea and Aston Bay further along the coast. The Shell Museum on Da Gama Street opens Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 16:00 and Sunday mornings; the Surf Museum is inside the Quiksilver shop at 24 Da Gama Road. The Kabeljous and Seekoei river lagoons are good for birds, with more than 120 species recorded at Seekoei and flamingos on the 4 km Kabeljous trail. St Francis Bay and its own point break are a short drive on.

Good to know

Wikivoyage reports that robberies of visitors have become more frequent: do not walk the beaches or the town alone at night and keep valuables out of sight in cars. Drive carefully on the road to Aston Bay after dark as people cross without warning. The tourism office is at 17 Da Gama Road. In the July contest fortnight and over December the town fills up, so book early.

Last updated 6 October 2026. Sources: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage, Jeffreys Bay Tourism, Surf-Forecast, Tripbase.