.jpg){kind=link}
Die Dam
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: too small (4 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 332kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 320kJ
- Wind
- E 16 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 247kJ
- Wind
- W 25 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 235kJ
- Wind
- W 20 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 368kJ
- Wind
- SSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 661kJ
- Wind
- ESE 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 223, poor
- Tue 315, poor
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 522, poor
- Fri 615, poor
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 914, poor
- Tue 1028, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 860kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, poor | 5 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 332kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 15, poor | 5 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 320kJ | wind from the east, 16 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 22, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 247kJ | wind from the west, 25 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 15, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 235kJ | wind from the west, 20 knots | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 368kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 661kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 14, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 172kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | wind from the west, 15 knots | 19°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 01:09 −0.5 mHigh 07:44 +0.4 mLow 14:07 −0.3 mHigh 20:24 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:42 −0.3 mHigh 09:17 +0.4 mLow 16:02 −0.4 mHigh 22:09 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:46 +0.5 mLow 17:30 −0.5 mHigh 23:33 +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
Die Dam on Google Maps · Directions
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
- Buffeljags Bay 7.7 km away
- Pearly Reef 19 km away
- Pearly Beach edit 20.4 km away
- Stinky Pits! 37 km away
- De Kelders 37.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Die Dam
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 sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.2 km out (1 in 122). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Pearly Beach. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf 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$1,300–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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$858–US$1,780 |
| 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$1,300–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
35 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Pearly Beach its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in L'Agulhas on Booking.com
55 min by car · 25 places to stay
- Beds in Struisbaai on Booking.com
60 min by car · 40 places to stay
Nearest beds: Pearly Beach, 20 km (about 35 min by car)
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 28h 25m
About 28h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 35m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.