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Southern & East Africa + Indian Ocean Islands · Cape Town - Cape Peninsula · Scarborough / Kommetjie

Misty Cliffs

wavesadvanced onlylow crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Platboom Beach 13 km · Lagoon Beach (Milnerton) 37 km · Sunset Beach 39 km · straight-line distance

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy20-45 knotsmixed Launchlimitedaccess rules on record, below Waterwaves15-18°C in summer · 14 things riders flag LevelAdvanced onlywith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airportin words under Getting thereTown International Airport (CPT)

When it fills in

Nothing published for Misty Cliffs specifically; broader Cape Town summer wind often builds through the afternoon.

Misty Cliffs is on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsula between Witsands and Scarborough, and it is not a beach you learn anything on. The shore is boulders and rock along most of its length, with cliffs behind and kelp downwind, and what limits access through the village is the rock itself.

You do not rig at Misty Cliffs: gear goes up at Witsands and you sail upwind to the break. The season is the Cape summer window, roughly October to March, on the south-easter or Cape Doctor, which blows offshore to cross-offshore here, plus the occasional frontal NW. Water is cold all year; late-August 2026 readings sat around 14.5-15 C.

The trap is the inside, where the wind goes weak and turbulent near the cliffs while the waves outside stay heavy, so a mistake leaves you swimming toward rock. Sharks have been sighted along this stretch. There are no lifeguards and no rescue arrangement anyone has confirmed.

The wind

locals call it Cape Doctor / south-easter, plus frontal NW

Direction

offshoreSEwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Kite sizes

4567891011

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

fills in: Nothing published for Misty Cliffs specifically; broader Cape Town summer wind often builds through the afternoon.

Typical strength

20-45 knots in the wider Scarborough/Witsands high season; spot-specific measured averages are not available.

Strong, gusty and technical near the cliffs, with turbulent or weak wind possible closer in.

The summer window runs October-March, tightening to November-February/March in most years. November-March is the core at Misty Cliffs itself, while October-March is the wider figure for the Scarborough, Witsands and Platboom coast. Winter NW and frontal setups can work, but nobody has confirmed them as a dependable Misty Cliffs kite season.

The quiver, in words

For the wider Scarborough and Witsands wave coast, 7 and 9 m for men and 5 and 7 m for women is the usual pack. No Misty-only quiver data is published.

Direction to shore

offshore to cross-offshore in SE at Misty Cliffs; NW is also reported as rideable

Dominant direction

SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, NW

Forecast

Month by month

Jan, riders' month90
Feb, riders' month89
Mar, riders' month95
Apr81
May66
Jun71
Jul74
Aug78
Sep77
Oct, riders' month90
Nov, riders' month91
Dec, riders' month89

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

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

18Jan16°
17Feb17°
17Mar16°
16Apr15°
14May16°
16Jun15°
15Jul14°
17Aug15°
16Sep15°
18Oct15°
17Nov16°
17Dec18°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	90%	17.5 kt	SE	20.5°C	16.2°C
Feb	89%	16.7 kt	SE	20.5°C	16.7°C
Mar	95%	17.2 kt	SE	19.1°C	16.4°C
Apr	81%	15.5 kt	SE	16.7°C	15.1°C
May	66%	13.6 kt	NNW	15.7°C	16.2°C
Jun	71%	15.7 kt	NNW	15.2°C	14.7°C
Jul	74%	15 kt	NNW	13.4°C	14.3°C
Aug	78%	16.5 kt	NNW	13.7°C	14.6°C
Sep	77%	15.9 kt	NW	14.3°C	15°C
Oct	90%	17.5 kt	SE	17.3°C	15.3°C
Nov	91%	16.8 kt	SE	18.3°C	16.2°C
Dec	89%	17.3 kt	SE	19.7°C	18.1°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

waves

Standing depth

There is no standing depth here. You rig at Witsands and ride upwind into open Atlantic water off a shore of boulders and rock, with kelp and reef downwind, and nothing shallow enough to stand in has been mapped anywhere along the Misty Cliffs frontage.The inside is where the wind goes soft and the rocks are, not where you rest.

Tides

Open-coast Atlantic tides. The tide changes how the break works rather than whether you can ride, and no kite-specific tide window is confirmed; even the surf guidance for this break disagrees with itself on which tide is best. Treat the tide as one more thing to check against the swell rather than a session gate.

Temperature

15-18°C summer · 14-15°C winter

Wetsuit

Full wetsuit. A 4/3 is commonly recommended for the Atlantic side; water measured 14.5-15.0 C in late August 2026, with winter averages around 15 C.

Currents

Strong currents are reported, but no measured current data was found.

14–18°C water

Exposed cold Atlantic coastline with powerful beach/reef-break surf, rocks, boulders and kelp nearby. Much of the Misty Cliffs shore is rocky, with boulder sections and limited access.

Your level

not for beginners herenot for intermediates hereadvanced

Expert only. Misty Cliffs is among the gnarliest and most dangerous kite spots in the Western Cape, and even experts keep well clear of the kelp and the rocks.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavebig airadvanced downwinders

Remote and high-consequence. Experienced locals and visiting pros ride it when the swell and the wind angle line up on the same day; nobody teaches here.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: limited

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Platboom Beach, 13 km

Platboom Beach Lagoon Beach (Milnerton)Sunset Beach

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

No kite rescue, no lifeguards, no facilities. Sea rescue on this coast is the volunteer National Sea Rescue Institute: Station 26 Kommetjie covers the stretch from Kommetjie down past Slangkop and Cape Point, emergency 082 990 5979, the NSRI emergency line is 087 094 9774, and 112 works from any mobile.

Nobody is watching the water, so the plan is a buddy on the beach, a phone that has signal at the car, and a self-rescue you have thought through before you go out.

Launch

Misty Cliffs itself is rock, and you cannot rig on it. Gear goes up at Witsands beach and you sail upwind to reach the break. Descriptions that point to Scarborough's sandy beach are talking about the wider Cape Peninsula wave coast, not this spot.Access inside the village is limited by the shore, not by a posted restriction.

Space

limited

Hazards riders report 14

sharks have been sighted in the area
cold water
exposed location with limited facilities
can get crowded despite its small size
Rocky coastline, boulders and cliffs
Massive powerful waves and close-outs
Offshore or cross-offshore SE wind with major consequences after gear failure
Gusty/turbulent wind and weak inside wind near the cliffs
Cold Atlantic water and wind chill
Strong currents
Kelp beds and rocks downwind
Sharks have been sighted along this stretch of coast.
Limited parking, limited facilities and difficult access
No lifeguards on record

Rules & access

2026: no Misty Cliffs kite permit or formal kite zone is published. Misty Cliffs Beach is managed by the City of Cape Town rather than Table Mountain National Park, so no TMNP permit applies; the City listing shows parking as the only facility and names fishing and angling as a permitted activity, with nothing kite-specific. The Coastal By-law, 2020 is still current in the City's by-law list as updated on 26 June 2026, so obey posted signage, closures and authorised officials. Since the practical launch is Witsands, upwind of Misty Cliffs, check access there before rigging.

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

Rider tips

Rig at Witsands and sail upwind to the break; the Misty Cliffs shore is rock and will not take a launch.
Do not set up in the village unless a local confirms the access and the launch that day.
Stay off the inside near the rocks, kelp and cliffs, where the wind goes soft and turbulent.
Treat SE as offshore to cross-offshore: ride with a buddy, a self-rescue plan and an exit you have looked at from the beach.
Wear a thick full suit even in summer; the water sits around 14.5-15 C.

Getting there

Airport

Cape Town International Airport (CPT)

Route

Drive the M65 coastal road on the Cape Peninsula between Kommetjie, Witsands and Scarborough. Misty Cliffs sits between Kommetjie and Scarborough, roughly an hour from Cape Town; it is about 50 minutes to Cape Town city centre and about 25 minutes to the Cape Point gate.

Transfer

60-90 from Cape Town International Airport depending on route and traffic

Cost level

medium

Staying

Small holiday-rental/village accommodation in Misty Cliffs and Scarborough; most kiters base in Cape Town/Blouberg or the Deep South and drive by forecast.

No-wind days

Chapman's Peak Drive, Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope, Scarborough and Kommetjie surf checks, Slangkop Lighthouse walk, Noordhoek Beach, Boulders Beach penguins, Constantia wine farms and Cape Town city activities.

Photos

Photo titled 'Misty Cliffs pure blue water' — Lourens van Dyk / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Aerial view explicitly showing Misty Cliffs and Scarborough — Simisa / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Misty Cliffs?

The best-supported season is October to March, with the south-easterly Cape Doctor and occasional frontal northwest wind.

Is Misty Cliffs suitable for beginners?

No, sources describe Misty Cliffs as expert-only, citing big waves, rocks, isolation and offshore or gusty wind with no verified rescue.

What is the wind like at Misty Cliffs?

SE wind is offshore to cross-offshore here and can be gusty and technical near the cliffs with turbulent or weak wind closer in; the wider coast sees 20-45 knots in season.

Where do riders actually launch?

The exact launch is disputed among sources, with riders reportedly rigging at Witsands or Scarborough rather than at Misty Cliffs itself; access is rocky and limited.

Last updated: August 2026