Is it worth the trip?
43Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 7 s
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 77kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- E 4 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 274kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 154kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 246, fair
- Tue 338, poor
- Wed 452, fair
- Thu 531, poor
- Fri 637, poor
- Sat 753, fair
- Sun 840, poor
- Mon 936, poor
- Tue 1032, poor
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, poor | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 31, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 5 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 53, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 274kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 36, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 154kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 152kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 9 knots | 24°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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:38 −0.3 mHigh 09:38 +0.3 mLow 16:06 −0.2 mHigh 22:21 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:37 −0.3 mHigh 11:27 +0.4 mLow 18:03 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:00 +0.3 mLow 06:08 −0.4 mHigh 12:38 +0.6 mLow 19:06 −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.
Map
the spot and its town
Ifafa Pipes 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
- Vacancy Reef 2.7 km away
- Pennington 6.9 km away
- Mtwalume Crest 8 km away
- Vulamanzi Point 8.7 km away
- Happy Wanderers 8.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Ifafa Pipes
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (110°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (290°). 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 800 m out (1 in 80). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Pennington, 6.9 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 23°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$1,340–US$2,630 each
about US$1,340–US$2,630 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 ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,870 |
| 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$1,340–US$2,630 |
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
about 15 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Pennington its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mtwalume on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 15 places to stay
- Beds in Scottburgh on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 27 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 31h 20m
About 31h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 1h 55m by road
Flights ORD → DUR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.