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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
Today5
10
Poor
1.7m@14s
19km/h
Thu6
39
Poor
4.0m@15s
27km/h
Fri7
32
Poor
3.6m@14s
11km/h
Sat8
34
Poor
3.2m@15s
38km/h
Sun9
18
Poor
4.2m@14s
39km/h
Mon10
19
Poor
3.2m@13s
29km/h
Tue11
7
Poor
3.3m@12s
41km/h
Wed12
15
Poor
2.5m@15s
28km/h
Thu13
23
Poor
2.6m@16s
8km/h
Fri14
21
Poor
2.4m@15s
14km/h
Choppy 5+ days out, less certain

Today's Conditions

Find Flights
Best session: AfternoonAM 22 km/h · PM 14 km/h · Low tide at 12pm (0.7m)
Swell
1.7m
SSW(210°)
Score: 12/25
Period
14s
Long period groundswell
Score: 14/25
Wind
19km/h
NNW(333°)
Score: 1/25
Weather
19°C
0.0mm3%
First light 6:39amSunrise 7:09amSunset 5:42pmLast light 6:12pm
Windswell0.1m@2sSecondary0.9mConfidence
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: 8:04am–5:23pm · through lowIdeal 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
18°
18°
22°
19°
18°
17°
17°
17°
17°
17°
16°
16°
16°
16°
17°
16°
17°
17°
16°
16°
15°
14°
14°
15°
14°
14°
14°
14°
14°
14°
15°
14°
16°
17°
17°
15°
16°
18°
19°
19°
17°
17°
18°
19°
19°
17°
18°
18°
18°
17°
5m2.5
sec
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
15s
15s
15s
15s
15s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
15s
15s
15s
15s
15s
14s
14s
14s
14s
14s
13s
13s
13s
13s
13s
12s
12s
12s
12s
12s
15s
15s
15s
15s
15s
16s
16s
16s
16s
16s
15s
15s
15s
15s
15s
swell
windkm/h
23g28
21g29
25g35
15g20
13g16
23g33
24g30
31g40
31g46
27g35
13g18
8g11
12g23
2g11
22g27
13g19
49g62
44g57
41g54
39g51
43g55
38g67
39g68
34g57
37g61
31g46
31g49
28g43
29g41
28g44
33g44
37g52
41g54
45g58
47g64
30g54
27g47
29g43
29g40
25g39
14g27
12g26
4g21
4g17
11g17
10g20
10g21
14g21
17g21
19g23
tidem
12:54am0.6m
6:57am1.6m
12:53pm0.7m
7:17pm1.8m
1:48am0.7m
7:50am1.5m
1:47pm0.8m
8:16pm1.5m
3:00am0.7m
9:20am1.2m
3:10pm0.8m
10:07pm1.4m
5:00am0.8m
11:21am1.4m
5:30pm0.9m
6:43am0.7m
12:48pm1.4m
7:06pm0.6m
1:10am1.5m
7:42am0.4m
1:46pm1.5m
8:04pm0.3m
2:03am1.5m
8:22am0.1m
2:33pm1.6m
8:48pm0.1m
2:50am1.6m
9:00am0.0m
3:13pm1.7m
9:26pm0.1m
3:27am1.7m
9:38am0.0m
3:52pm1.9m
10:04pm0.1m
4:03am1.8m
10:10am0.1m
4:27pm2.0m
Ideal tideStrike windowDanger tideNight

Tide times today

12:54 am
Low tide - 0.61m
6:57 am
High tide - 1.58m
12:53 pm
Low tide - 0.68m
7:17 pm
High tide - 1.75m
Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

10
Poor
Components
Swell Direction0/25
Swell Size12/25
Swell Period14/25
Wind1/25
Raw Score27/100
Adjustments
Wind History-4
🌊 Tide+5
💨 Gusty Wind-3
⚠️ Weak Component-15
Adjusted Score10/100
Confidence
Multiplier×1.00
Final Score10
🌊 Optimal tide window

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