Hell
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
21Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 6 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 262kJ
- Wind
- SSE 18 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 148kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft14 s
- Energy
- 10kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 475kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 392kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 185kJ
- Wind
- S 20 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- S 16 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 150, fair
- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 44, too small
- Thu 519, poor
- Fri 630, poor
- Sat 720, too small
- Sun 812, too small
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 108, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Ntakes swell from the N
- Offshore: Swind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 5–19 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
Full forecast
every day, every number
Hell does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 50, fair | 5 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 530kJ | offshorewind from the south, 17 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 262kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-east, 18 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 15 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 4, too small | 1 ft14 s1 ft at break (est.) | 10kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, poor | 6 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 475kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 17°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, poor | 6 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 392kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 20, too small | 4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 185kJ | offshorewind from the south, 20 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, too small | 4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | offshorewind from the south, 16 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 8, too small | 2 ft13 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 114kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 18°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 01:19 −0.5 mHigh 07:49 +0.5 mLow 14:15 −0.4 mHigh 20:30 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:47 −0.4 mHigh 09:18 +0.5 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:09 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:24 −0.4 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:23 −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.
Map
the spot and its town
Hell 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
5 places
- Hell 0 km away
- Brittania Bay (Shelly point) 0.4 km away
- Heaven 0.4 km away
- Pastures 0.6 km away
- Brittania Bay (Beachbreak) 1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hell
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces N (342°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (162°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 53). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 14°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 16°C in January, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). The town to stay in is Saint Helena Bay, 5.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.
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$1,300–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 · 11 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Saint Helena Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Paternoster on Booking.com
24 min by car · 72 places to stay
- Beds in Velddrif on Booking.com
39 min by car · 11 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 28h 45m
About 28h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h 55m by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.