Lucien
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 74kJ
- Wind
- E 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 203kJ
- Wind
- ENE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft10 scrumbling
- Energy
- 144kJ
- Wind
- NNW 14 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 125kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 117kJ
- Wind
- S 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 132, poor
- Mon 243, poor
- Tue 338, poor
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 544, too small
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 828, poor
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1038, 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 May–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Lucien does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 32, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the east, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, poor | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 203kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 44, too small | 3 ft10 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 144kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 14 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft8 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 117kJ | wind from the south, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft6 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft9 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 125kJ | wind from the north-east, 9 knots | 22°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 01:18 −0.5 mHigh 07:51 +0.4 mLow 14:03 −0.3 mHigh 20:18 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:40 −0.4 mHigh 09:41 +0.4 mLow 16:09 −0.2 mHigh 22:22 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:35 −0.3 mHigh 11:30 +0.4 mLow 18:02 −0.3 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.
Best time to go
best May–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Lucien on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Margate Beach 1.1 km away
- Uvongo Beach 3.2 km away
- Dolphin Point 4.1 km away
- St Michaels 4.7 km away
- Ramsgate Beach 5.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Lucien
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). 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 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Margate, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to MGH, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and JNB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,290–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: 3 towns
2 min by car · 109 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Margate its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Uvongo on Booking.com
6 min by car · 62 places to stay
- Beds in Ramsgate on Booking.com
10 min by car · 19 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 30h 50m
About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → MGH, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → MGH on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.