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Level 8/10

Bruce's Beauties

St Francis Bay, South Africa
🪨Rocks🦈Sharks👊Localism

Bruce's Beauties is the legendary wave from The Endless Summer—a perfect right-hand point break in St Francis Bay that captivated the surfing world in 1966. The wave is extremely inconsistent, requiring large East swells to wrap into the bay, which only happens a handful of times per year. But when it does, the result is mechanical, ruler-edged perfection. Chasing this wave is a game of patience and timing. Surfing's original pilgrimage destination.

10-Day Forecast
Today18
10
Poor
2.7m@13s
30km/h
Wed19
8
Poor
3.0m@13s
22km/h
Thu20
22
Poor
3.7m@14s
23km/h
Fri21
14
Poor
2.5m@13s
18km/h
Sat22
0
Poor
1.8m@12s
53km/h
Sun23
30
Poor
3.2m@13s
27km/h
Mon24
8
Poor
3.4m@13s
38km/h
Tue25
12
Poor
3.7m@14s
15km/h
Wed26
0
Poor
2.1m@14s
35km/h
Thu27
0
Poor
1.4m@13s
40km/h
Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: AfternoonAM 31 km/h · PM 25 km/h · Low tide at 12pm (0.1m)
Swell
2.7m
SW(226°)
Score: 19/25
Period
13s
Medium period swell
Score: 8/25
Wind
30km/h
W(264°)
Score: 4/25
Weather
16°C
0.0mm56%
First light 6:26amSunrise 6:56amSunset 5:51pmLast light 6:21pm
Windswell0.9m@4sSecondary0.6mConfidence
100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...
0°45°90°135°180°225°270°315°NESW
Swell
Wind
Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

Strike window: 6:26–9:51am · droppingStrike window: 2:26–6:21pm · risingIdeal tide: 0.4–1.5m
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
6am
9am
12pm
3pm
6pm
°C
17°
17°
16°
16°
17°
16°
16°
16°
16°
18°
17°
16°
16°
17°
18°
17°
16°
17°
18°
19°
17°
17°
16°
17°
18°
17°
17°
17°
17°
17°
16°
17°
17°
17°
17°
17°
17°
17°
18°
18°
17°
17°
18°
19°
20°
18°
18°
17°
17°
18°
4m2.0
sec
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
swell
windkm/h
30g38
31g43
31g43
29g41
20g33
20g27
17g28
7g14
30g40
39g52
35g50
29g40
24g37
18g27
11g21
4g13
12g17
13g18
29g37
35g45
58g71
60g81
53g79
47g73
45g64
30g47
29g42
28g40
24g38
22g34
32g43
41g55
40g55
38g55
38g54
28g56
17g50
1g36
15g28
22g31
36g46
36g49
34g50
33g49
35g43
54g73
49g73
41g71
32g66
20g54
tidem
6:11am1.1m
12:04pm0.1m
6:30pm1.1m
12:36am0.2m
6:43am0.9m
12:30pm0.3m
7:00pm1.0m
1:10am0.3m
7:21am0.8m
1:10pm0.3m
7:50pm0.8m
2:06am0.4m
9:00am0.7m
2:00pm0.5m
9:30pm0.8m
4:30am0.5m
11:54am0.8m
6:10pm0.6m
6:50am0.3m
1:10pm0.8m
7:04pm0.4m
1:03am0.9m
7:23am0.2m
1:40pm1.0m
7:48pm0.2m
1:43am1.0m
7:57am0.0m
2:16pm1.1m
8:15pm0.1m
2:21am1.2m
8:25am0.1m
2:43pm1.4m
8:45pm0.1m
2:46am1.4m
8:51am0.0m
3:06pm1.5m
9:13pm0.0m
Ideal tideStrike windowDanger tideNight

Tide times today

6:11 am
High tide - 1.06m
12:04 pm
Low tide - 0.07m
6:30 pm
High tide - 1.13m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

10
Poor
Components
Swell Direction0/25
Swell Size19/25
Swell Period8/25
Wind4/25
Raw Score31/100
Adjustments
🤢 Wind History-7
🌊 Tide-4
⚠️ Weak Component-10
Adjusted Score10/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score10
🤢 Morning Sickness🌊 Touches shallow danger zone

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to PLZ, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction
SE (125°)
Direction range
100° - 160°
Size range
1m - 4m
Ideal size
3.1m
Height multiplier
0.97×
Ideal period
16s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction
SW (225°)
Offshore range
180° - 270°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide
low to mid
Optimal range
0.4m - 1.5m
Danger below
0.3m

Water temp

16°C

Wetsuit

4/3mm fullsuit

Difficulty

8/10

Crowd level

6/10

Access: Drive to St Francis Bay, walk down the rocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Bruce's Beauties?

Bruce's Beauties works best on a low to mid tide, ideally between 0.4m and 1.5m on the local tide chart. The tide chart above shows today’s strike window. Below 0.3m it gets dangerously shallow.

What wind direction is offshore at Bruce's Beauties?

Offshore wind at Bruce's Beauties blows from the SW (225°). Anything in the 180° to 270° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Bruce's Beauties?

Bruce's Beauties wants SE swell (100° to 160°) between 1m and 4m, with a period of 16s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Bruce's Beauties?

The main season at Bruce's Beauties is May-Sep. A secondary window runs Apr, Oct. Extremely inconsistent. Needs large East swells to wrap into the bay.

How do I get to Bruce's Beauties?

Fly into PLZ, then allow about 90 minutes by road. Drive to St Francis Bay, walk down the rocks.

What kind of wave is Bruce's Beauties?

Bruce's Beauties is a point break, a right-hander. Difficulty is rated 8/10.

Best Season

Peak: May-Sep

Secondary: Apr, Oct

Extremely inconsistent. Needs large East swells to wrap into the bay.

Getting There

Airport
PLZ
Drive time
90 min
Data quality
verified

🤙 Strike Specialist

The Strike Specialist in South Africa is Llewellyn Whittaker. Get in touch with them for the best chance of scoring the best waves in South Africa — and don't forget to tell 'em Barrel D sent ya. He also offers high-level surf coaching, so you can level up while you strike.

Strike Log

Community Discussion