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Eastern Cape · Jeffreys Bay · Sarah Baartman District Municipality

Kabeljous Lagoon

also known as Kablejous Lagoon, Kabeljous River Lagoon, Kabeljouws Nature Reserve

lagoonbeginner-friendlylow crowds
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Kabeljous Lagoon has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Decthe months riders and schools nameHow windyno knot figure publishedmixedLaunchroom to launch not ratedaccess rules on record, belowWaterlagoon20-24°C in summer · 8 things riders flagLevelBeginner to intermediatewith a caveat, in the Level section
Schoolsnone named here
From the airportno transfer time publishedPort Elizabeth (PLZ)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Kabeljous Lagoon is an estuary at the north-eastern edge of Jeffreys Bay that goes flat and rideable when it has water in it. Two things have to line up: rain to fill the lagoon, and an easterly. December to March is the season, and even then it is roughly one kiteable day a week, so nobody should travel for it.
There is an active local crew, no school and no rescue, and nothing like Cape Town crowds. Kabeljous Nature Reserve around it protects river, estuary, wetland, dune and shoreline habitat, so ride wide of the birds and keep off the wetland margins.
Documentation on this spot is thin next to the established South African hubs, and the record still cannot say where riders actually rig.

The wind

Direction

Character

mixed

December to March is the main season for Kabeljous. It only works on an easterly, and there is generally about one kiteable day per week, so treat it as a local window rather than a travel plan.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Dominant direction

E

Forecast

This week, from Windguru · full forecast

Month by month

  1. Jan, riders' month78
  2. Feb, riders' month74
  3. Mar, riders' month81
  4. Apr64
  5. May58
  6. Jun64
  7. Jul68
  8. Aug69
  9. Sep78
  10. Oct82
  11. Nov78
  12. Dec, riders' month84

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec.

  1. 14Jan21°
  2. 14Feb21°
  3. 14Mar21°
  4. 13Apr18°
  5. 12May18°
  6. 14Jun16°
  7. 14Jul16°
  8. 15Aug17°
  9. 15Sep18°
  10. 15Oct18°
  11. 14Nov19°
  12. 15Dec21°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

MonthForce 4+KnotsFromAirWater
Jan78%14.3 ktE21.4°C20.5°C
Feb74%14.3 ktE21.4°C21.1°C
Mar81%13.8 ktWSW20.7°C21°C
Apr64%13.3 ktW17.8°C18.2°C
May58%12.2 ktW16.9°C18.3°C
Jun64%13.8 ktW15.3°C16°C
Jul68%13.9 ktW14°C15.5°C
Aug69%14.5 ktW14.7°C16.6°C
Sep78%15 ktWSW15.2°C17.5°C
Oct82%14.9 ktE17.4°C18°C
Nov78%14.4 ktE18.6°C19.3°C
Dec84%14.9 ktSW20.4°C21.4°C
modelled

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

lagoon

Standing depth

Shallow, standing-depth areas are likely at low tide, undocumented in detail.

Tides

Tidal estuary at the Kabeljous River mouth. Water level and bird numbers both follow the rain, and the flat-water spot needs rain to fill up.

Temperature

20-24°C summer · 16-19°C winter

Wetsuit

Shorty or a light full suit in summer if it is windy; a 3/2 full suit for winter or long sessions. The figures come from Jeffreys Bay sea temperatures, not from measurements in the lagoon.

Currents

An estuary mouth will move water on the tide, but no kite source has quantified the current at the riding area.

16–21°C water
Kabeljous is flat water. The reserve takes in the Kabeljous River, the estuary, wetlands and sandy shoreline, and the water level follows the rainfall.

Your level

beginnerintermediatenot for advanceds here
Flat water and beginner SUP use point to gentle water in the right conditions, but no current kite school was found teaching at Kabeljous itself. Suitability comes down to water level, an easterly, and staying away from the estuary mouth.

The scene

What riders come here for

beginnerflat waterfreeridebeginner progression
A quiet local estuary with an active kite community, not a kite-tourism stop. Nothing like the crowding at the Cape Town spots.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch is not rated

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Launch

No rigging spot is documented. The likely launch is the lagoon edge near the Kabeljous Road picnic access, or the river-mouth side.

Hazards riders report 8

  • tidal currents at the estuary mouth
  • exposed sandbanks at low tide
  • protected nature reserve - wildlife/birdlife present
  • Water level depends on rainfall and the lagoon may not be full enough for good riding
  • Only works on easterly wind.
  • Tidal flow and changing depth near the estuary mouth
  • Protected reserve with wetlands, birdlife and wildlife
  • No dedicated kitesurf rescue or school infrastructure at the spot
Rules & access
2019: the reserve rules ban dogs, motorised vehicles, hunting and fires in Kabeljous Nature Reserve, and plants and animals may not be disturbed, damaged or removed.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Rider tips

  • Check the wind direction and the last week of rain before driving out; it needs an easterly and enough water in the lagoon.
  • Stay off the river mouth when the tide is visibly running or the sandbanks are showing.
  • Base in Jeffreys Bay and ask a local rider where to launch, because there is no kite-school procedure here.
  • Keep clear of the birdlife and the wetland edges, and follow the reserve rules: no dogs, no vehicles, no fires.

Getting there

Airport

Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport, Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth (PLZ)

Route

Come from Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth on the N2 to Jeffreys Bay, then the R102 and the Kabeljous access roads north-east of town. Reserve access is by the R102 bridge, with a grassy parking area reached off Kabeljous Road.

Cost level

medium

Staying

Jeffreys Bay is the accommodation base; there is nothing to stay in inside the reserve.

No-wind days

Walking and birding in Kabeljous Nature Reserve, kayaking on the lagoon, the Jeffreys Bay surf beaches, fishing, whale watching in season, and the Seekoei River Nature Reserve up the coast.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Kabeljous Lagoon?

December to March is the main season, but the lagoon only works on an easterly wind and needs recent rainfall to be full enough to ride, so it is roughly one kiteable day per week.

Is Kabeljous Lagoon suitable for beginners?

The flat water and shallow standing-depth areas suit beginners in principle, though no current local kite school was found for supervised lessons at Kabeljous itself.

Are there rules or restrictions?

Kabeljous Nature Reserve prohibits dogs, motorized vehicles, hunting and fires, and plants or animals may not be disturbed, damaged or removed.

What hazards should riders know about?

Tidal currents and exposed sandbanks occur near the estuary mouth, and the lagoon's water level depends on rainfall.

More in Eastern CapeNahoon Beachall →
Also in season in DecemberCape Town - Blouberg/Big BayDurbanLangebaanCape Town - Cape PeninsulaStrand
More lagoon places in South AfricaHermanus LagoonWitsand (Breede River)

Last updated: August 2026