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Food & Water |
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Equipment |
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Climate |
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Necessities |
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Vehicle Hire |
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TRANSPORT
Most areas in South Africa are accessible by road in a normal vehicle, but once in Mozambique a 4x4 motor vehicle is required to get to the more remote surf spots, hence the clean and uncrowded waves.
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FOOD & WATER
These are not a problem, as all areas in Southern Africa provide rich and tasty meals at reasonable prices, this is especially true in Mozambique where the seafood is of a great variety and of the highest quality.
Bottled water is available at most convenience stores and petrol stations.
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EQUIPMENT
Depending on your surfing ability, whatever boards you ride at home should be fine for most of the breaks in Southern Africa. At most places along our coastline it is possible to surf a variety of both powerful or mellow breaks, so should you wish to take advantage of this variety, a quiver of at least 2 boards will be required.
For example in Durban it is possible to surf waves from a mellow 2-3 foot in one part of town to a powerful 4-6 foot in another part of town all in one day.
The normal swells along the coastline are generally 2 to 4 feet, with the bigger swells averaging between 6 to 8 feet.
The spots that can handle the big swells are not for the faint hearted, as the power at some of these breaks is definitely of the board breaking kind. But, believe me when these spots break the surf on offer is incredible, and your sessions out there will be one's to remember for a long time.
To buy surf equipment in Southern Africa, this is limited to South Africa, where all the top local and international brands are all readily available in nearly all towns along the coastline. Durban is the hub of the surf industry and here anything from boards to wetsuits to clothing are easily purchased.
South Africa has a lot of well known and internationally respected surfboard shapers, so getting good quality new or second-hand surfboards here is not a problem.
However, when traveling to Mozambique it is important to take any extra fins, fin keys, leashes, wax etc along with you, as there are no surf shops at all.
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CLIMATE
The weather in Southern Africa differs from region to region.
General - The further south you go towards Cape Town the colder both the water and weather gets, and the opposite is true in the north with Durban being your tropical comfort zone. The Southern Hemisphere winter is generally the best time to visit our shores (from May to September) with clean offshore surf conditions, along with a steady supply of swell. The offshore winds blow well into the morning offering clean hollow waves especially on the beach breaks and certain point breaks.
Summer offers smaller yet still playful conditions (from November to March) with warmer water and lots of daylight surf time. The water temperature differs from +/-10 degrees Celsius (approximately 50 degrees Fahrenheit) down in the Cape Town area, to +/- 24 degrees Celsius (approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Natal and Mozambican areas, with clear water conditions in most places.
Summer - In the summer months (November to March) the water temperature in the areas from Durban to J-Bay varies between 17 and 24 degrees Celsius. In Mozambique it is slightly warmer.
In the Cape Town region it is much colder, varying between 11 and 17 degrees Celsius.
However the air temperature around the whole area is generally between 24 and 30 degrees Celsius.
Winter - In the winter months (May to September) the water temperature between Durban and J-Bay varies between 14 and 21 degrees Celsius. Down in Cape Town it actually warms up a bit to between 13 and 18 degrees.
The air temperature across the whole area is generally between 17 to 26 degrees.
Wetsuits - If you intend to travel from Cape Town all the way up to Mozambique, it is advisable to bring both a 4/3 mil steamer, and a 2 mil spring-suit, as far as wetsuits go, also bring a long-sleeve rash top for Durban and Mozambique.
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NECESSITIES
Passport - A passport for traveling to Mozambique from South Africa is required.
Visas – a visa for Mozambique is required, these are easily obtained.
Sunscreen and insect repellant are essential especially in the summer months. A mosquito net and repellant is a must if you’re going to Mozambique and are readily available in South Africa.
Guides - The biggest necessity to get the best out of your trip is someone with a good local knowledge of the area, someone who is in tune with all the local surf conditions/weather, and what the best options available on a daily basis are. This is where I come in.
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VEHICLE HIRE
The hiring of the vehicle will be a flat rate of R1 500 per day which includes myself as a guide/driver and the use of a 4x4 vehicle.
Fuel and extras such as road tolls, oil etc will be provided by the persons renting the vehicle.
The hiring of the boat will be upon request by you, the guest. For example should one wish to go fishing, dolphin watching, sight seeing or use it for photography the charge will be R120 per person per hour. The boat will be only usable in the Mozambique area and at the discretion of the skipper for safety reasons.
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