Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve)
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 419kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 244kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 586kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 349kJ
- Wind
- W 12 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,256kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 209kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 212, poor
- Tue 348, fair
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 541, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 966, good
- Tue 1028, poor
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve) does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 12, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 419kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 244kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 586kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 349kJ | wind from the west, 12 knots | 17°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,256kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 66, good | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 209kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 159kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 19°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.
Best time to go
best Apr–Jul
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
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 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 Tue 3 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
Noetsie (De Hoop Reserve) 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
- The Heads 6.3 km away
- The Heads (Rock spot) 6.3 km away
- The Heads (Back Reef) 6.4 km away
- Lagoon Wedge 7.1 km away
- Yonders 11.8 km away
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PBZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$878–US$1,820 |
| 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$1,320–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
about 15 min by car · 131 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Knysna its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Plettenberg Bay on Booking.com
about 40 min by car · 118 places to stay
- Beds in Sedgefield on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 40 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 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
Flights MDW → PBZ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.