Donkey Bay
Surf spot · Namibia
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 10 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 297kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tue 3 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 162kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- NW 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Thu 5 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 286kJ
- Wind
- SSW 20 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sat 7 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 210kJ
- Wind
- SSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 185kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 143, poor
- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 345, fair
- Wed 442, poor
- Thu 535, poor
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 740, poor
- Sun 827, poor
- Mon 98, poor
- Tue 1033, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–12 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best May–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft11 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 300kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 45, fair | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 162kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the north-west, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 286kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 20 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 16°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 40, poor | 5 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 210kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 27, poor | 5 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, poor | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 282kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, poor | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots | 16°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 01:31 −0.4 mHigh 08:09 +0.4 mLow 14:23 −0.4 mHigh 21:02 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:00 −0.3 mHigh 09:34 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:30 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:36 −0.3 mHigh 10:51 +0.5 mLow 17:20 −0.5 mHigh 23:41 +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 May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Donkey Bay 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.
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More surf near here
3 places
- Skeleton Bay 0.8 km away
- Mussels 14 km away
- Guns 15.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Donkey Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (298°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (118°). 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 750 m out (1 in 73). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Walvis Bay, 8.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,240–US$2,430 each
about US$1,240–US$2,430 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 WVB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$797–US$1,660 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$154–US$261 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$141–US$255 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,240–US$2,430 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Walvis Bay
15 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Walvis 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 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WVB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → WVB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.