Goukamma Rivermouth
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 367kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 265kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 381kJ
- Wind
- ESE 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 234kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 471kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- W 10 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 807kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 130, poor
- Mon 230, poor
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 457, fair
- Thu 557, fair
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 948, fair
- Tue 1045, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Goukamma Rivermouth does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 338kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 30, poor | 6 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 367kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 265kJ | wind from the east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 57, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 381kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 234kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 471kJ | wind from the west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 ssoft10 ft at break (est.) | 807kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 21°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 01:25 −0.5 mHigh 08:01 +0.5 mLow 14:16 −0.3 mHigh 20:38 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:56 −0.4 mHigh 09:42 +0.4 mLow 16:20 −0.3 mHigh 22:27 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:46 −0.4 mHigh 11:16 +0.5 mLow 17:56 −0.4 mHigh 23:54 +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.
Best time to go
best Apr–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
- Apr1of 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
Goukamma Rivermouth 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
- Buffalo Bay (Oyster Banks) 1.1 km away
- Buffalo Bay (Bert rock) 1.9 km away
- Buffalo Bay (Wildside Shorey) 1.9 km away
- Wild Side 1.9 km away
- Buffalo Bay (Reef) 2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Goukamma Rivermouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (205°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (25°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Brenton on Sea, 7.8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 12 surf spots.
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$1,320–US$2,590 each
about US$1,320–US$2,590 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 PBZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$878–US$1,820 |
| 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$1,320–US$2,590 |
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
14 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Brenton on Sea its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Knysna on Booking.com
19 min by car · 131 places to stay
- Beds in Sedgefield on Booking.com
25 min by car · 40 places to stay
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 30h 25m
About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PBZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 50 min by road
Flights MDW → PBZ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.