Staying Home Sucks, home
Beach at Melkbosstrand
Melkbosstrand, the nearest town, 5 km away. Photo: Ossewa, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Derde Steen

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 35 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 ssoft
Energy
498kJ
Wind
SSE 10 kn
Temp
24°C

Tue 3 · 24 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
339kJ
Wind
SSW 9 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 3 out of 100

Swell
under 1 ft15 s
Energy
6kJ
Wind
NE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 22 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 smushy
Energy
882kJ
Wind
WNW 13 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 41 out of 100

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

Sat 7 · 49 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
574kJ
Wind
S 11 kn
Temp
21°C

Sun 8 · 58 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
545kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 164, good
  2. Mon 235, too small
  3. Tue 324, too small
  4. Wed 43, too small
  5. Thu 522, poor
  6. Fri 641, poor
  7. Sat 749, fair
  8. Sun 858, fair
  9. Mon 911, too small
  10. Tue 109, 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 expert surfers at Derde Steen, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov64, good8 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)975kJwind from the south-south-east, 9 knots24°C
Mon 2Nov35, too small6 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)498kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots24°C
Tue 3Nov24, too small5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)339kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots27°C
Wed 4Nov3, too smallunder 1 ft15 s1 ft at break (est.)6kJwind from the north-east, 2 knots27°C
Thu 5Nov22, poor8 ft9 smushy10 ft at break (est.)882kJwind from the west-north-west, 13 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov41, poor7 ft8 smushy9 ft at break (est.)591kJwind from the west-north-west, 10 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov49, fair7 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)574kJwind from the south, 11 knots21°C
Sun 8Nov58, fair7 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)545kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Mon 9Nov11, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot23°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.)177kJwind from the south-south-west, 9 knots22°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 experts: 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 Derde 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 850 m out (1 in 86). 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, 8.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 15 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

9 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.