Overview

St James is a spot located near Knysna on the Garden Route, in the Brenton area. This beach faces south and offers ocean conditions with regular waves. The spot is in a quiet residential setting, with beach access from the village. Good intermediate spot for the Knysna kite community.

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Spot forecast for St James

Sunrise 05:39 · Sunset 18:45

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< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

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Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 3.1 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October Low tide 05:18 · 0.8 m High tide 12:01 · 1.4 m Low tide 18:27 · 0.8 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 00:14 · 1.3 m Low tide 06:21 · 0.7 m High tide 12:47 · 1.5 m Low tide 19:05 · 0.7 m
Thursday 22 October High tide 01:01 · 1.5 m Low tide 07:00 · 0.6 m High tide 13:21 · 1.7 m Low tide 19:36 · 0.5 m
Friday 23 October High tide 01:37 · 1.6 m Low tide 07:34 · 0.5 m High tide 13:51 · 1.9 m Low tide 20:07 · 0.4 m
Saturday 24 October High tide 02:10 · 1.7 m Low tide 08:07 · 0.3 m High tide 14:22 · 2 m Low tide 20:39 · 0.2 m

St James: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

168h

in December · 25.5 rideable days

The season runs from October to March, peaking in December: 23 rideable days a month and 168 hours of usable wind, at 24 °C. The low point is June, at 0 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 90%13-20 knots · 10%21-30 knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 90% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is July, at 17 °C. The wettest month is April, with 124 mm.

Monthly averages: St James

Monthly averages — St James — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	24.0	163 h	25 °C	58 mm
February	22.0	133 h	25 °C	56 mm
March	20.5	98 h	25 °C	45 mm
April	9.5	49 h	22 °C	124 mm
May	2.5	11 h	21 °C	18 mm
June	0.0	2 h	19 °C	84 mm
July	1.5	8 h	17 °C	51 mm
August	6.5	23 h	19 °C	22 mm
September	12.5	66 h	19 °C	65 mm
October	21.5	100 h	21 °C	95 mm
November	25.0	153 h	22 °C	58 mm
December	25.5	168 h	24 °C	39 mm

Photo gallery of St James

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Technical details of St James spot

The spot works with winds from ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW.

Rideable Not rideable

Spot functioning

The spot works with SE to SW wind in side-onshore. Ocean beach with consistent waves. Rideable at all tides. Best in summer with the afternoon SE thermal. Alternative to the more crowded spots in the Knysna area.

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Intermediate

On the water

Waves of 1-2 metres. Sandy bottom. Moderate chop in SE wind. Similar conditions to Brenton-on-Sea. Water temperature between 17-21°C. 3/2 wetsuit in summer, 4/3 in winter.

Parking

Limited parking in the residential area of St James. Access from Knysna via the Brenton-on-Sea road. Some spaces along the road. No commercial facilities at the spot itself.

Wind specificities

Southeast wind blows side-onshore on this south-facing beach. SE thermal between October and March, reaching 15-25 knots in the afternoon. Similar conditions to other spots in the Brenton/Knysna area. Southwest brings stronger conditions with cold fronts.

Hazards

Shore break during large swells. Sharks present in the area. No lifeguard service. Lateral currents possible. Avoid drifting towards rocks. Do not ride alone.

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Sedgefield Island21.6 kmsource iweathar.co.za

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Additional stations

KNYSNA8.4 km

Readings reserved for Premium members
source WIS2 - WMO
Sedgeview21.5 km

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source iweathar.co.za

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Webcams near St James

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Western Cape

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St James kitesurf and wingfoil spot