Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 3 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 shollow
- Energy
- 97kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 168kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sat 7 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Mon 9 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 67kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, too small
- Tue 334, too small
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 547, fair
- Fri 641, too small
- Sat 721, too small
- Sun 836, too small
- Mon 932, too small
- Tue 1048, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Nov6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Black Mamba does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 31°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft14 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 97kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 47, fair | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft7 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 36, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 67kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 31°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft7 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 30°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 03:57 −0.2 mHigh 09:48 +0.3 mLow 16:06 −0.5 mHigh 23:09 +0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 05:30 −0.3 mHigh 11:20 +0.3 mLow 17:24 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:15 +0.5 mLow 06:42 −0.4 mHigh 12:35 +0.3 mLow 18:30 −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.
Best time to go
best in Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Black Mamba on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Busua 0.7 km away
- Dixcove 1.1 km away
- Katakor 12.7 km away
- Cape Three Points 18.3 km away
- Magic bay 19.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Black Mamba
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (147°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (327°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 8). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually November, with about 6 good days in 7; in July and August, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Busua, 0.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. 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$998–US$1,940 each
about US$998–US$1,940 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 ORD to ABJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at JFK, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$603–US$1,250 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$127–US$214 |
| 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$60–US$100 |
| Total | about US$998–US$1,940 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
about 5 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$47/nightcountry average
About Busua its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dixcove on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 10 places to stay
About US$47 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 23h 30m
About 23h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → ABJ, changing at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), then 4h 10m by road
Flights ORD → ABJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.