Misty Cliffs PHOTO GALLERY

Rating:            *****

Type:            Hardcore Wave

Grade:            Professional, Advanced

Distance from Cape Town:        43kms

Time from Cape Town:            40 minutes

Facilities:        none but the tarred road and the beach

Description:  Misty Cliffs is so named because of the mist that collects and hangs over the road up against the mountain. This is one of the spots - but you sail here at your own peril, due to the rocks and the waves.

Rigging Area: You can rig on the road, next to your car, or you can rig on the beach.

Wind Conditions:

SE:    Port Tack
The South Easter is stronger, on average, down south, and there is no sheltering effect, as there is at Scarborough.
NW:    Starboard Tack
The gusty North Wester is much better here than at Witsands, because there is also less sheltering from the surrounding mountains.

Wave Conditions: The waves at Misty’s can get notoriously large, especially when the NW is blowing. Often you can drive towards this spot from the Kommetjie / Witsands direction and watch exactly how far out the waves break. What always frightens me is how they then carry on in broken, frothy and deadly form for what seems like an eternity... When you're riding the waves, beware of coming in too close to the beach, for two reasons. One, the rocks will zap your fin quicker than you can wipe out, and two, the closer you go in to the beach, the more waves you'll have to negotiate to get back out into the safety zone. You might consider buying a leash for your rig, if you’re not sponsored by anyone. To go out in big waves without enough wind is, needless to say, a foolish venture...

Additional Information: The beach at Misty’s is very rocky area. Take along a spare fin if you’ve got one...

Directions: Take the De Waal Drive from Cape Town past UCT, and just follow the road till the end of the highway. Turn right at the stop sign, to take the Ou Kaapse Weg turn, and then carry on all the way through Sun Valley, turn righ to Kommetjie, and at Ocean's View, take a left turn at the police station. At the stop street, turn left, and continue until you see the Misty Cliffs conservation village signs. The best spot to park is at the bridge just through the village.