Paragliding
St. James
Cape Town, Western Cape
Today
Not flyable
28 km/h WNW · not flyable
Best window this week
Sat 24 · 14h00 · 👍 2 stars · 639m tops
Soarable tops — 7-day
Reference lines show historical 75th and 95th percentile for St. James.
▸Detailed forecast table
| Time | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 20Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 237 | 8 NW | 14 WNW | 17 WNW | 615 | 1.0 | 7% | 69% | 13.6 | 7.9 | 0 | 1018 |
| 11h | — | 1,137 | 19 NW | 27 NW | 32 NW | 1458 | 3.0 | 0% | 92% | 16.9 | 5.1 | 0 | 1015 |
| 14h | — | 1,057 | 24 NW | 41 NW | 49 NW | 1371 | 2.0 | 0% | 77% | 16.7 | 5.9 | 0 | 1013 |
| 17h | — | 661 | 31 WNW | 51 WNW | 57 WNW | 908 | 2.0 | 4% | 79% | 14.4 | 8.8 | 0 | 1012 |
| Wed 21🌧 Rain | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 120 | 23 WNW | 22 WNW | 22 WNW | 128 | 0.0 | 28% | 7% | 15.5 | 14.4 | 3 | 1013 |
| 11h | — | 1,173 | 30 WNW | 53 WNW | 62 WNW | 1503 | 3.0 | 92% | 90% | 17.7 | 13.3 | 1 | 1013 |
| 14h | — | 1,312 | 28 WNW | 47 WNW | 57 WNW | 1658 | 3.0 | 89% | 96% | 18.3 | 12.6 | 2 | 1013 |
| 17h | — | 1,039 | 26 W | 41 WNW | 46 WNW | 1409 | 2.0 | 94% | 83% | 16.2 | 12.9 | 1 | 1013 |
| Thu 22Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 120 | 17 WSW | 26 W | 28 W | 829 | 1.0 | 97% | 20% | 14.6 | 11 | 1 | 1019 |
| 11h | — | 1,153 | 20 W | 29 W | 34 W | 1474 | 3.0 | 91% | 91% | 16 | 9.8 | 0 | 1020 |
| 14h | — | 1,147 | 21 WSW | 28 WSW | 30 WSW | 1448 | 3.0 | 52% | 99% | 17 | 9.6 | 0 | 1020 |
| 17h | — | 937 | 17 WSW | 23 WSW | 25 SW | 1264 | 2.0 | 70% | 99% | 15.4 | 9.8 | 0 | 1020 |
| Fri 23Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 120 | 4 E | 6 E | 10 E | 275 | 1.0 | 9% | 72% | 14.6 | 9.4 | 0 | 1022 |
| 11h | 👍 | 538 | 7 SSE | 7 SSE | 11 WNW | 725 | 2.0 | 2% | 95% | 19.7 | 8.9 | 0 | 1022 |
| 14h | — | 716 | 14 WSW | 15 WNW | 19 WNW | 944 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 23.1 | 9 | 0 | 1020 |
| 17h | — | 225 | 19 W | 22 W | 22 WNW | 403 | 1.0 | 0% | 100% | 20.7 | 7.8 | 0 | 1019 |
| Sat 24Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | 🤔 | 246 | 10 SE | 12 SE | 17 SE | 449 | 1.0 | 0% | 100% | 16.7 | 9.9 | 0 | 1020 |
| 11h | 👍 | 504 | 14 SE | 14 SE | 15 SSE | 721 | 2.0 | 0% | 100% | 21.3 | 8.5 | 0 | 1019 |
| 14h | 👍 | 639 | 18 SSE | 16 SSE | 9 S | 893 | 2.0 | 0% | 97% | 22.9 | 11.3 | 0 | 1018 |
| 17h | — | 300 | 23 SE | 24 SSE | 28 SSE | 545 | 1.0 | 0% | 84% | 18.6 | 10.6 | 0 | 1017 |
| Sun 25Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 246 | 37 SSE | 46 SSE | 58 SSE | 460 | 1.0 | 41% | 100% | 16 | 12.6 | 0 | 1016 |
| 11h | — | 431 | 42 SSE | 49 SE | 54 SE | 586 | 2.0 | 30% | 100% | 17.9 | 13.3 | 0 | 1018 |
| 14h | — | 413 | 42 SSE | 47 SSE | 54 SE | 554 | 2.0 | 25% | 97% | 18.3 | 13.4 | 0 | 1018 |
| 17h | — | 323 | 40 SSE | 49 SSE | 60 SSE | 542 | 1.0 | 59% | 78% | 16.8 | 13.7 | 0 | 1019 |
| Mon 26Clear | Stars | Tops (m) | Sfc Wind | BL Wind | BL Top | BL Ht (m) | Thermal (m/s) | BL Cloud % | Sun % | Temp (°C) | Dewpt (°C) | Rain (mm) | Pres (hPa) |
| 08h | — | 138 | 33 SSE | 37 SE | 42 SE | 436 | 1.0 | 92% | 100% | 17 | 15 | 0 | — |
| 11h | — | 409 | 38 SSE | 41 SE | 41 SE | 608 | 2.0 | 82% | 100% | 18.4 | 15 | 0 | — |
| 14h | — | 393 | 42 SE | 46 SE | 47 SE | 570 | 2.0 | 65% | 97% | 18.8 | 14.8 | 0 | — |
| 17h | — | 138 | 41 SE | 46 SE | 52 SE | 388 | 1.0 | 59% | 88% | 17.9 | 14.7 | 0 | — |
A Silvermine-cluster launch on the cliff-top circuit above St James, on a short-fynbos slope over occasional sandstone outcrop. Foot access only, well off the beaten track — hikers here have usually walked over an hour, so passing traffic is minimal.
Notice something outdated on this page? Let Ria know →Table Mountain National Park requirements
Licence required: Advance Grade licence for paragliding (Basic-licence pilots only under supervision); B grade for hang gliding (no A-licence sign-offs) — some Silvermine launches require C grade.
Reached on foot only via recognised footpaths — unlike the other Silvermine launches, there's no vehicle/boom-gate access here. Activity Card and SAHPA membership still required. No night flying, no damaging vegetation. (Per the Oct 2004 TMNP EMP — confirm current requirements with SAHPA/TMNP.)
Flying conditions
Wind recommendation
S-SE
Flyable directions
SE, SSE, S
Wind speed range
0–18 km/h
Air School training site
Not used for Air School training
Quick facts
- Grade
- Sport
- Region
- Cape Town
- Distance from Cape Town
- 21 km (straight-line)
- Coordinates
- -34.1136°S, 18.4577°E
Want to train at a site like this?
See Beginner CourseReady to fly?
Your first solo flight is three sessions away. The beginner course is available year-round — gear, sites, and SAHPA registration all included.
Or call +27 78 095 8136