Koeelbay (Main beach)
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 7 ft swell at 9 s, onshore wind, 16 kn (30 km/h)
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 310kJ
- Wind
- E 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- NNW 12 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 390kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 526kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 746kJ
- Wind
- E 16 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 shollow
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 240, poor
- Tue 338, too small
- Wed 422, too small
- Thu 510, too small
- Fri 629, poor
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 860, good
- Mon 926, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 40, poor | 6 ft8 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 438kJ | wind from the south-east, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, too small | 4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 310kJ | offshorewind from the east, 3 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 22, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 12 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 29, poor | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 390kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 11 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 7 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 526kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 60, good | 7 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.) | 746kJ | offshorewind from the east, 16 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, too small | 4 ft8 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 4 ft9 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 295kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 17°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 02:47 −0.3 mHigh 09:14 +0.4 mLow 16:00 −0.4 mHigh 22:05 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.4 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:26 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:42 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:25 −0.6 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
Koeelbay (Main 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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More surf near here
5 places
- Koeelbay (caves) 0.2 km away
- Koeelbay (Ledges) 0.2 km away
- Paranoia 1.7 km away
- Tidal Pools 2.3 km away
- Virgin Point 5.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Koeelbay (Main beach)
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (251°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (71°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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). The town to stay in is Gordons Bay, 8.8 km away (about 15 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
about 20 min by car · 56 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Gordons Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Pringle Bay on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 16 places to stay
- Beds in Strand on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 53 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 26h 40m
About 26h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.