Staying Home Sucks, home
Resting Elephant Seal at Onrus Beach (South Africa)
Near Hardebaai. Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Hardebaai

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

31Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sat 7: 5 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 25 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
433kJ
Wind
E 6 kn
Temp
17°C

Tue 3 · 25 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
252kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 26 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
173kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
496kJ
Wind
WNW 19 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 23 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 ssoft
Energy
550kJ
Wind
WNW 13 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 smushy
Energy
333kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 42 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
652kJ
Wind
ESE 15 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 162, good
  2. Mon 225, too small
  3. Tue 325, too small
  4. Wed 426, too small
  5. Thu 517, too small
  6. Fri 623, poor
  7. Sat 743, too small
  8. Sun 842, poor
  9. Mon 920, too small
  10. Tue 106, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in Apr1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Hardebaai, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov62, good7 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)826kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots17°C
Mon 2Nov25, too small6 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)433kJwind from the east, 6 knots17°C
Tue 3Nov25, too small4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)252kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov26, too small4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)173kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov17, too small5 ft11 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)496kJwind from the west-north-west, 19 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov23, poor7 ft8 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)550kJwind from the west-north-west, 13 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov43, too small5 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)333kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov42, poor7 ft9 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.)652kJwind from the east-south-east, 15 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov20, too small3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots19°C
Tue 10Nov6, too small2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.)35kJwind from the west, 9 knots19°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 01:12 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:08 −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 17:28 −0.5 mHigh 23:30 +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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Hardebaai

Resting Elephant Seal, Onrus Beach (South Africa)
Near Hardebaai. Photo: Olga Ernst, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hardebaai

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (197°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (17°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 29). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 20°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, 5.8 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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$1,300–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

Hawston

9 min by car

about US$60/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Hawston · Booking.com

About Hawston 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 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

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.