Surf Forecast  J-Bay

J-Bay surfspot characteristics

More about J-Bay surfspot

The longest, most perfect righthand pointbreak on the planet, consists of no less than 10 different sections including Kitchen Windows, Magnatubes, Boneyards, Supertubes, Impossibles, Salad Bowls, Coins, Tubes, The Point and finally Albatross. Fingers of basalt hold the sand uniformly, creating the perfect bathymetry for 1km long rides between Boneyards and The Point when the swell is just the right size and perfectly lined up. Supertubes is the stellar section, where the pro competitions are held and the crew are most combative, while Point and Albatross are slower, more manageable walls for intermediates and longboarders. Maintaining high speed and a high line is critical for threading the multiple tube sections and cutting back is rarely a good idea. SW-W is offshore for most of the sections, while NW-NE Berg (or Devil) winds descend from the mountains, blowing into the barrels and creating a nasty chop that is hard to handle on a wave where speed is king.

Currents can be unrelenting and sweep you down the point in a trice. Walking back up the point is de rigeur but then you must find the keyhole through the sharp, mussel-coated boulders that are know locally as bricks. Booties and a strong board will help avoid damage and stave off the effects of upwelling fed cold water in the 15-19ºC (59-66ºF) bracket, further depressed by a lively windchill factor despite being in a subtropical convergence zone where the warm Agulhas meets the cold South Atlantic.