Yzerfontein Surf
The West Coast beach break at Yzerfontein — a cold Atlantic surf town 80 minutes north of Cape Town, with a long beach and a reliable peak.
Trip Role
Ideal stay
Best for
Our take
The West Coast's accessible surf stop — a cold Atlantic beach break at Yzerfontein, pairing with the West Coast National Park and the 16-Mile Beach.
The West Coast's accessible surf stop — a cold Atlantic beach break at Yzerfontein, pairing with the West Coast National Park and the 16-Mile Beach.
- Trip Role
- Worth a Detour
- Ideal Stay
- 2 days with the park
- Time Needed
- 2 days
- Best For
- Cold-water surfers, West Coast travellers, Cape Town surfers wanting a change of scene.
- Skip If
- Warm-water surfers, beginners (cold and a powerful break).
- Go If
- You want the West Coast beach break closest to Cape Town, or you're pairing surf with the West Coast National Park.
- Worth Extra Drive
- 30 min
Why it's worth your time
A cold Atlantic beach break at Yzerfontein, the West Coast town 80 minutes north of Cape Town — a long, beach-fronted town with a reliable beach break, the 16-Mile Beach, and the West Coast's most accessible surf stop. Yzerfontein is the West Coast surf: cold water, a beach break that works on a south-west swell, and a holiday-town setting that's the closest West Coast surf to Cape Town. For Cape Town surfers it's the West Coast run; for travellers it pairs with the West Coast National Park and the Langebaan lagoon.
What we love
The long beach; the reliable beach break; the West Coast holiday-town feel; the West Coast National Park pairing.
What to know
Cold Atlantic — wetsuit year-round. Beach break works on a south-west swell. Pair with the West Coast National Park and Langebaan. 80 minutes from Cape Town.
More surf spot in Western Cape
Buffalo Bay
The Garden Route's mellow beach break at Buffalo Bay — a wide, warm-enough bay between Knysna and Sedgefield.
Dungeons
The big-wave reef off Hout Bay — the cold Atlantic monster that put South African big-wave surfing on the world map.
Elands Bay Surf
A remote West Coast left-hand point break — cold, powerful, and the Cape surfer's winter pilgrimage.
Glen Beach
The tucked Atlantic-seaboard beach break at Glen Beach — a small, cold, wedge-y break between Camps Bay and Clifton.
Herolds Bay
A tucked Garden Route cove beach break at Herolds Bay — a small, sheltered, warm-enough surf between George and Victoria Bay.
Llandudno Surf
The Atlantic-seaboard beach break at Llandudno — a cold, beautiful, sunset-facing beach break between Camps Bay and Hout Bay.