Jeffreys Bay

Supertubes at Jeffreys Bay is a right-hand point break over reef that runs long, fast and hollow when a south-westerly swell hits it in winter, and it has been on every list of the world's best waves since surfers found it in the 1960s. The break is actually a chain of sections - Boneyards, Supertubes, Impossibles, Tubes, the Point - which on a big clean day can link into a ride of several hundred metres. The World Surf League has held a championship tour event here for decades, usually in July, and the town fills for it. Out of the swell season Jeffreys Bay is an ordinary small coastal town with a long beach, shell collecting, and outlet shops for surf brands. The water is cold enough for a wetsuit year-round, and the winter line-up at Supertubes is crowded and competitive - it is not a beginner wave.

History

The town is named after the senior partner of the firm Jeffrey & Glendinnings, who opened a store here in 1849 and is thought to have been the first settler. In the late 1960s and early 1970s it was a hippie hangout where its surfing community began, and Bruce Brown's film The Endless Summer made it famous as a surfing destination (Wikipedia, Jeffreys Bay).

Highlights

• Supertubes - a long fast right-hand point break over reef.
• The linked sections - Boneyards through to the Point, connecting on the best days.
• The winter contest - a championship tour event, usually in July.
• An ordinary town otherwise - long beach, shells and surf outlets out of season.

When to go

June to August for the swell. Two days. Dawn sessions before the wind.

What to expect

Supertubes is an expert wave and the line-up is crowded and competitive. Out of season there may be no swell at all for days. The water needs a wetsuit all year. The town itself is unremarkable when the surf is flat.

Nearby

St Francis Bay is south-west; Gqeberha is east on the N2.

Key facts