Muizenberg is the warm, friendly, unpretentious side of Cape Town’s coast, and the place where most of South Africa learns to surf. It sits on the False Bay shore about twenty-five minutes from the city centre, on the eastern, warmer side of the peninsula, and it could hardly be more different from the glamour of Camps Bay. The signature image is the row of candy-coloured Victorian bathing boxes lined up along the sand, but the heart of the place is the water: a long, gentle, forgiving wave that has been turning nervous first-timers into surfers for generations.
That wave is why Surfer’s Corner exists. The beach break here is slow and sandy and as beginner-friendly as surf gets, and the strip behind it is packed with schools and board-hire shops that make a first lesson easy. The water is warmer than the Atlantic side of the city, though still cool enough that a wetsuit, which the schools provide, makes a long session far more comfortable. Book a lesson, hire a soft-top, and you’ll most likely be standing before lunch. Our surfing guide covers the wider South African scene, from here to Jeffreys Bay; Muizenberg is simply the best place to begin.
There’s plenty here even without a board. The beach is long, flat and family-friendly, the bathing boxes glow in the morning light, and the village behind, with its cafes, surf shops and secondhand bookstores, is a relaxed place to spend a few hours. False Bay is watched by the Shark Spotters, who fly a coloured flag system from the mountain above, so check the flag, swim and surf with others, and heed any call to leave the water. Pair Muizenberg with the antiques of Kalk Bay and the penguins at Boulders Beach for an easy, warmer-water day, and arrive on the coastal train if you can, for the ride along the edge of the bay.
