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Grotto Beach
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
33Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 395kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 224kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 155kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 smushy
- Energy
- 166kJ
- Wind
- WNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Fri 6 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 500kJ
- Wind
- WNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 814kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 438kJ
- Wind
- E 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 161, good
- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 328, too small
- Wed 424, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 625, poor
- Sat 746, fair
- Sun 846, fair
- Mon 915, too small
- Tue 107, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
- Best in Apr1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 61, good | 7 ft9 smushy9 ft at break (est.) | 755kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 6 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 395kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 224kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 155kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft10 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 166kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 25, poor | 7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 500kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 46, fair | 8 ft8 smushy10 ft at break (est.) | 814kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 46, fair | 6 ft8 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 438kJ | wind from the east, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 104kJ | offshorewind from the north, 4 knots, offshore | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 20°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 01:11 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:07 −0.3 mHigh 20:22 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:45 −0.3 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 16:02 −0.3 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:45 +0.5 mLow 17:29 −0.5 mHigh 23:31 +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 in Apr
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
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 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, its town, photos
Grotto Beach on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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.
Photos of Grotto Beach
More surf near here
5 places
- Voelklip 0.9 km away
- Mosselrivier Rivermouth 2 km away
- Bay view 2.9 km away
- Bayview 3.7 km away
- Sandbaai 8.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Grotto Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (209°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (29°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). 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 Hermanus, 5.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 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
| 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
9 min by car · 104 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Hermanus its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hawston on Booking.com
27 min by car
- Beds in Gansbaai on Booking.com
34 min by car · 28 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 27h 30m
About 27h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h 40m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.