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Knysna-topview
Knysna, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: .prometheus., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve)

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

38Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 38 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
460kJ
Wind
E 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Wed 4 · 47 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
419kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 21 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
244kJ
Wind
W 12 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 47 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
435kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
21°C

Sat 7 · 32 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
490kJ
Wind
WSW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 30 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
1,087kJ
Wind
E 11 kn
Temp
19°C

Mon 9 · 29 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
260kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 252, fair
  2. Tue 338, too small
  3. Wed 447, fair
  4. Thu 521, too small
  5. Fri 647, fair
  6. Sat 732, poor
  7. Sun 830, poor
  8. Mon 929, too small
  9. Tue 107, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve), each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov52, fair6 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)518kJwind from the west, 5 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov38, too small6 ft9 scrumbling8 ft at break (est.)460kJwind from the east, 8 knots21°C
Wed 4Nov47, fair6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.)419kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov21, too small4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the west, 12 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov47, fair7 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.)435kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots21°C
Sat 7Nov32, poor7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)490kJwind from the west-south-west, 10 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov30, poor9 ft9 scrumbling10 ft at break (est.)1,087kJwind from the east, 11 knots19°C
Mon 9Nov29, too small4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.)260kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the west-south-west, 11 knots19°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 02:57 −0.4 mHigh 09:42 +0.4 mLow 16:19 −0.3 mHigh 22:28 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:47 −0.4 mHigh 11:17 +0.5 mLow 17:55 −0.4 mHigh 23:55 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:05 −0.5 mHigh 12:24 +0.6 mLow 18:55 −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

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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve)

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

The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). 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 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 17°C in May, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Knysna, 8.8 km away (about 15 min by car).

Water about 18°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$1,320–US$2,590 each

about US$1,320–US$2,590 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PBZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$878–US$1,820
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
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$1,320–US$2,590

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

Closest

Knysna

15 min by car · 131 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 131 places to stay in Knysna · Booking.com

About Knysna 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 25m

About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → PBZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 45 min by road

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