FAQ Cape Town

The south-easterly wind usually starts sometime between late September and middle of October and blows through to April, if we’re lucky even into May. From December to February we have an almost 100% chance to get wind and sunshine!

NOTE: If you’re planning to travel to Cape Town in December or January, make sure you organize your accommodation and rental car well in advance.

The spots in Cape Town work for any rider from an intermediate level onwards. On some days it can even be gentle enough for beginner kitesurfer…depending on spot, tide and wind-conditions. We have spots where you’ll find bigger on a regular basis, and spots where the waves are usually smaller. There are also several flat-water options, about an hour drive away from Cape Town.

The Cape Doctor (our famous south-easterly wind) is a cold, and therefore a dense, powerful wind. Which size obviously depends on your size and riding style, but your kites should be anywhere between 3m and 10m. You will barely need any bigger kite than that, unless your planning a kite-trip up the coast. The beauty in Cape Town is that the wind is either blowing properly or not at all.

Not at all! We know the water-temperature is the main reason for many to avoid Cape Town as a kite-destination. They don’t know what they miss out on. Yes the water is a bit chilly at times, but once the African sun hits your wetsuit you’re not bothered by that cold water any more. Even wetsuits as thin as 4/3 are more than sufficient. That being said, once kiting in Cape Town you will realise that our wind is cooled down by this cold water, which means that thanks to the added density, it has more power than the wind at any random warm-water spot…

Sharks seem to be the most scary thing on this planet for most people. It is completely unreasonable to worry about being attacked by a shark, even whilst kitesurfing in Cape Town. We can (and often do) discuss this topic for hours and hours. In short: shark attacks are very very rare incidents, world-wide as well as in South Africa. There are an average of 6 shark attacks per year WORLDWIDE…and an average of 2 attacks in South Africa! You are more likely to get killed by a toaster (67 people get electrocuted by their toasters every year) or a coconut (160 people get killed by falling coconuts every year).

Besides the fact that the sharks in Cape Town have no intention of eating you, they aren’t even hanging out at the popular kite-spots. Most sharks can be found around seal island, their feeding ground, in False Bay. It’s not only miles away from Bloubergstrand, it’s in another ocean.

If you visit Cape Town for kitesurfing holidays there’s only one place to go: Table View. This suburb about 15km outside of Cape Towns city centre, is home to most of the famous kite-spots in Cape Town like Kite-Beach, Big Bay, Haagkat or Sunset Beach. If you look for accommodation for your holidays, check-out: Bloubergstrand, Table View, Small Bay, Big Bay or Sunset Beach.

You will find any accommodation option you can think of in Table View: backpacker, surf-hostels, guest-houses, bed&breakfasts, hotels and self-catering options. There are plenty of room-finder websites to search for accommodation.

Loads! Cape Town offers a massive range of activities for all interests. You could spend your time, hiking around natural tourist attractions like the Table Mountain, Lions Head or The Cape of Good Hope. Visit the penguins at Boulders Beach (yes we have a whole bunch of penguins in Cape Town) and explore the beautiful suburbs on the South peninsula. Check out the city-centre and go for some shopping or just hang out at the V&A Waterfront, Camps Bay or the world-famous Long Street.
If you want more action you’ll find great tracks for skate-boarding or biking, amazing climbing conditions, shark-cage diving, paragliding, great SUP and surfing, and much much more.

Well, you don’t necessarily need a car, but you need to be prepared that you aren’t as flexible with your kiting. Fact is that you find a windy place as good as every day if you have a car to get around. Except for that you won’t necessarily need one. There is a top-notch public bus-system running through Cape Town, a bicycle path from Bloubergstrand all the way to the city-centre.ig Bay, Haagkat or Sunset Beach. If you look for accommodation for your holidays, check-out: Bloubergstrand, Table View, Small Bay, Big Bay or Sunset Beach.

South Africa is a (no we don’t get tired of saying it) paradise for food-lovers! If you’re in a self-catering accommodation you will find fresh products, for great prices, in super-markets and food-stores (Not necessarily in 711’s) as well as in restaurants. We also have a German butcher in Table View where you can find German and Italian products.
If you don’t feel like cooking during your holidays, you will find a plenty of dining options in Table View. We have a whole lot of decent places to go out for a dinner like steak-houses, sushi-bars, sea-food or Italian restaurants. You can also find plenty of fast-food options like KFC, McDonalds, Steers (if you don’t know it…give it a go!), Subway or the Kung-Fu Kitchen.

First of all, this is a sensitive topic, and you will hear hundreds of different opinions and advices when you’re in South Africa, here’s ours: We know South Africa’s crime statistics can be pretty frightening, but luckily Cape Town is one of the more mellow places. That doesn’t mean there is no crime in Cape Town. There are still many dodgy areas, and you need to be careful at night. You’re better off walking as a group, and to leave your really important stuff at home. None of us here at Africa Extreme has ever had an incident while walking or skating around in Table View…night or day.

Citizens of most countries can stay for 90 or 30 days In South Africa, without a visa. They can then apply for a visa in South Africa, to extend their stay for another 90 or 60 days. You can find a list with all those countries here, if your country is not on this list you will have to apply for a visa at least 4 weeks before arriving in South Africa.