Staying Home Sucks, home
Beach at Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand, the nearest town, 6 km away. Photo: Ossewa, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

3de Steen

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

33Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
364kJ
Wind
SSE 11 kn
Temp
24°C

Tue 3 · 53 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
127kJ
Wind
E 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 61 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
224kJ
Wind
ESE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 14 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
142kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
591kJ
Wind
NW 10 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 16 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
123kJ
Wind
SSE 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
545kJ
Wind
SE 12 kn
Temp
27°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 234, poor
  3. Tue 353, fair
  4. Wed 461, good
  5. Thu 514, poor
  6. Fri 60, too big
  7. Sat 716, poor
  8. Sun 80, too big
  9. Mon 932, poor
  10. Tue 1023, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–12 ftof swell
  • Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at 3de Steen, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)975kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots23°C
Mon 2Nov34, poor5 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)364kJwind from the south-south-east, 11 knots24°C
Tue 3Nov53, fair3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)127kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov61, good4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)224kJwind from the east-south-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov14, poor4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)142kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)591kJwind from the north-west, 10 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov16, poor3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)123kJwind from the south-south-east, 8 knots20°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big7 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)545kJwind from the south-east, 12 knots27°C
Mon 9Nov32, poor4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)135kJwind from the east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 10Nov23, too small2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.)177kJwind from the west, 9 knots21°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovLow 01:19 −0.4 mHigh 07:47 +0.4 mLow 14:13 −0.3 mHigh 20:26 +0.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:49 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.4 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About 3de Steen

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces W (271°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (91°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 94). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Blouberg, 7.6 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.

Water about 15°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,300–US$2,540 each

about US$1,300–US$2,540 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$858–US$1,780
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$161–US$275
Food7 days eating outabout US$147–US$268
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout US$1,300–US$2,540

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Melkbosstrand

10 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Melkbosstrand · Booking.com

About Melkbosstrand its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 26h 30m

About 26h 30m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 40 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.