Staying Home Sucks, home
Richards Bay, South Africa
Richards Bay, the nearest town, 7 km away. Photo: MeRyan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kleiklip

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

17Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 6 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 16 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
90kJ
Wind
SE 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
120kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 ssoft
Energy
151kJ
Wind
NNE 13 kn
Temp
33°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
213kJ
Wind
SE 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 3 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 smushy
Energy
93kJ
Wind
SSW 19 kn
Temp
20°C

Mon 9 · 30 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
153kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
23°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 218, too small
  2. Tue 316, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 512, too small
  5. Fri 619, too small
  6. Sat 713, too small
  7. Sun 83, too small
  8. Mon 930, too small
  9. Tue 1027, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best in May2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Kleiklip, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov18, too small3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov16, too small3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots26°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)120kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots29°C
Thu 5Nov12, too small3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots33°C
Fri 6Nov19, too small5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)213kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov13, too small3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov3, too small3 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the south-south-west, 19 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov30, too small5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)153kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots23°C
Tue 10Nov27, too small4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)204kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots25°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 02:27 −0.4 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 15:44 −0.3 mHigh 21:59 +0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.4 mHigh 11:17 +0.4 mLow 17:50 −0.3 mHigh 23:53 +0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:01 −0.5 mHigh 12:34 +0.6 mLow 18:59 −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

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.

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kleiklip

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

The spot faces SE (132°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (312°). 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 950 m out (1 in 95). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Richards Bay, 7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 wind sports 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$1,290–US$2,550 each

about US$1,290–US$2,550 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 RCB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and JNB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$898–US$1,870
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
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$1,290–US$2,550

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Richards Bay

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Richards Bay

about 15 min by car · 14 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 14 places to stay in Richards Bay · Booking.com

About Richards Bay 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 30h 50m

About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → RCB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), then 30 min by road

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