The History of Jeffreys Bay
How a small coastal town in the Eastern Cape became synonymous with world-class surf.
Paddle Out & Play Free →Early days
Jeffreys Bay began as a modest fishing and farming settlement along South Africa's Eastern Cape coastline. For decades it existed largely outside the surfing world's attention, known mainly to locals for its long stretch of coastline and reliable swell.
Discovery by traveling surfers
The wave now known as Supertubes started drawing attention from traveling surfers in the 1960s and 70s, as word spread of a right-hand point break capable of extremely long, fast, hollow rides — the kind of wave surfers actively sought out on early surf-travel routes through Southern Africa.
Becoming a competitive tour stop
As the wave's reputation grew, Jeffreys Bay became a fixture on professional surfing's world tour calendar, with Supertubes regularly cited by professional surfers as one of the best right-handers they compete on anywhere. The event held there each year remains one of the most anticipated stops of the season, largely because the wave itself so consistently delivers.
A town shaped by its wave
Surfing has shaped Jeffreys Bay's identity and economy in a way few other towns experience — surf shops, surf tourism, and a steady flow of visiting surfers chasing the point are all part of daily life there, alongside the fishing and farming roots the area started from.
Why the name carries weight
For surfers, "Jeffreys Bay" or "JBay" signals something specific: a long, clean, right-hand wall, consistent enough to be a genuine destination rather than a lucky swell. That reputation is exactly what led to naming a free browser surfing game after it — see our Jeffreys Bay surfing guide for what the wave itself is actually like, and our about page for the full story of the site.