Albatross
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
29Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 177kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 311kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 177kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 306kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 268kJ
- Wind
- SW 16 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 728kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 305kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 231, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 421, too small
- Thu 516, too small
- Fri 629, too small
- Sat 713, too small
- Sun 839, poor
- Mon 936, poor
- Tue 1017, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | offshorewind from the west, 3 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 311kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 16, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 177kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, too small | 6 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 306kJ | offshorewind from the west, 9 knots, offshore | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 13, too small | 5 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 268kJ | wind from the south-west, 16 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 39, poor | 7 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 728kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 36, poor | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 305kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 146kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 23°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:54 −0.3 mHigh 09:46 +0.4 mLow 16:18 −0.3 mHigh 22:28 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.3 mHigh 11:23 +0.5 mLow 17:57 −0.4 mHigh 23:59 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:04 −0.4 mHigh 12:29 +0.6 mLow 18:56 −0.5 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
Albatross on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- The Point 1.9 km away
- Supertubes (J-Bay) 2.2 km away
- Salad bowls 2.5 km away
- Impossibles 2.6 km away
- Boneyards 3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Albatross
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (123°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (303°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 51). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Jeffreys Bay, 4.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. 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$1,330–US$2,610 each
about US$1,330–US$2,610 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PLZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,840 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,330–US$2,610 |
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
about 10 min by car · 53 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Jeffreys Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in St. Francis Bay on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 20 places to stay
- Beds in Cape St. Francis on Booking.com
about 45 min by car · 9 places to stay
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 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PLZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 1h 35m by road
Flights MDW → PLZ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.