Staying Home Sucks, home
Betty's Bay
Betty's Bay, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Nick Coombe from Toronto, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Chrystal Road

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

37Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 11 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
430kJ
Wind
SSE 5 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
130kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 49 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 ssoft
Energy
423kJ
Wind
WNW 19 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
650kJ
Wind
NNW 13 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
346kJ
Wind
WSW 5 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 smushy
Energy
889kJ
Wind
E 16 kn
Temp
22°C

Mon 9 · 48 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
225kJ
Wind
NW 5 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 24, poor
  2. Tue 348, fair
  3. Wed 440, too small
  4. Thu 549, fair
  5. Fri 60, too big
  6. Sat 715, poor
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 948, fair
  9. Tue 1034, poor

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–16 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
  • Best in Apr1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Chrystal Road, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov4, poor5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)317kJwind from the south-east, 14 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov48, fair5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)430kJwind from the south-south-east, 5 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov40, too small3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)130kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore25°C
Thu 5Nov49, fair4 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)423kJwind from the west-north-west, 19 knots, offshore20°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)650kJwind from the north-north-west, 13 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov15, poor5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)346kJwind from the west-south-west, 5 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)889kJwind from the east, 16 knots22°C
Mon 9Nov48, fair4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)225kJwind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore22°C
Tue 10Nov34, poor4 ft10 smushy2 ft at break (est.)322kJwind from the south-west, 9 knots19°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 02:47 −0.3 mHigh 09:15 +0.4 mLow 16:01 −0.3 mHigh 22:05 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:27 −0.5 mHigh 23:30 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:26 −0.6 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.

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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 Chrystal Road

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

The spot faces SE (157°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (337°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Betty's Bay, 4.6 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 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$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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Pringle Bay

about 10 min by car · 16 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 16 places to stay in Pringle Bay · Booking.com

About Pringle Bay 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 27h

About 27h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 15m by road

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