Paragliding
St. James
Cape Town, Western Cape
Today
Not flyable
44 km/h WNW · not flyable
Best window this week
Wed 30 · 14h00 · 👍 2 stars · 382m 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 30Clear | 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 | — | 133 | 13 N | 11 N | 11 N | 141 | 0.0 | 0% | 85% | 18.4 | 6.2 | 0 | 1019 |
| 11h | — | 436 | 11 NE | 26 NNE | 26 NNE | 692 | 2.0 | 0% | 96% | 28.6 | 9.2 | 0 | 1019 |
| 14h | 👍 | 382 | 15 SE | 13 ENE | 15 NE | 572 | 2.0 | 0% | 98% | 29.3 | 8.8 | 0 | 1016 |
| 17h | — | 156 | 13 ESE | 17 ESE | 19 SE | 327 | 1.0 | 0% | 97% | 27 | 8.9 | 0 | 1013 |
| Thu 1Clear | 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 | — | 133 | 19 N | 35 NNW | 46 NNW | 444 | 1.0 | 99% | 60% | 15.9 | 13.9 | 0 | 1017 |
| 11h | — | 424 | 39 NNW | 63 NNW | 72 NNW | 627 | 2.0 | 0% | 94% | 22.8 | 13.6 | 0 | 1015 |
| 14h | — | 426 | 44 WNW | 61 NW | 69 NW | 594 | 2.0 | 0% | 97% | 20.9 | 14.5 | 0 | 1015 |
| 17h | — | 333 | 33 WNW | 46 WNW | 52 WNW | 559 | 1.0 | 67% | 80% | 16.9 | 13.9 | 0 | 1014 |
| Fri 2Clear | 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 | — | 133 | 11 WNW | 22 W | 26 W | 550 | 1.0 | 83% | 58% | 15.7 | 13.6 | 1 | 1021 |
| 11h | — | 1,220 | 13 WSW | 15 W | 24 NW | 1625 | 3.0 | 95% | 88% | 19.9 | 12 | 0 | 1021 |
| 14h | — | 1,081 | 15 SSW | 13 SW | 17 NW | 1552 | 2.0 | 100% | 39% | 18.5 | 11.3 | 0 | 1021 |
| 17h | — | 602 | 20 SSE | 28 SSE | 20 S | 962 | 2.0 | 77% | 58% | 15.4 | 12 | 0 | 1021 |
| Sat 3Clear | 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 | — | 162 | 39 SE | 44 SE | 46 SE | 1002 | 1.0 | 74% | 100% | 13.6 | 8.5 | 0 | 1025 |
| 11h | — | 778 | 41 SE | 52 SE | 61 ESE | 1148 | 2.0 | 100% | 68% | 15.2 | 10.6 | 0 | 1026 |
| 14h | — | 162 | 48 SE | 57 SE | 63 ESE | 628 | 1.0 | 81% | 25% | 14.5 | 11.2 | 0 | 1024 |
| 17h | — | 487 | 44 ESE | 54 ESE | 65 E | 893 | 1.0 | 91% | 89% | 15.2 | 10.7 | 0 | 1023 |
| Sun 4Clear | 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 | — | — | 9 ENE | — | — | — | — | — | — | 14.7 | — | 0 | 1022 |
| 11h | — | — | 6 ESE | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18.5 | — | 0 | 1021 |
| 14h | 🤔 | — | 10 S | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20.3 | — | 0 | 1018 |
| 17h | 🤔 | — | 16 S | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19.3 | — | 0 | 1017 |
| Mon 5Clear | 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 | — | — | 9 WNW | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16.8 | — | 0 | 1014 |
| 11h | — | — | 9 W | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19.5 | — | 0 | 1013 |
| 14h | — | — | 15 W | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20.1 | — | 0 | 1011 |
| 17h | — | — | 13 W | — | — | — | — | — | — | 18.9 | — | 0 | 1010 |
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