Staying Home Sucks, home
Southbroom beach, KZN
Southbroom, the nearest town, 8 km away. Photo: Pitipaci, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Palm Beach

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 40 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
152kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
22°C

Wed 4 · 45 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
289kJ
Wind
S 5 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 45 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
129kJ
Wind
NW 12 kn
Temp
30°C

Fri 6 · 26 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
142kJ
Wind
SSW 6 kn
Temp
24°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
158kJ
Wind
SSW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

Sun 8 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
168kJ
Wind
SSW 14 kn
Temp
20°C

Mon 9 · 35 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
255kJ
Wind
NNE 10 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 251, fair
  2. Tue 340, poor
  3. Wed 445, fair
  4. Thu 545, fair
  5. Fri 626, poor
  6. Sat 737, poor
  7. Sun 824, poor
  8. Mon 935, poor
  9. Tue 100, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 24 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

Palm Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Palm Beach, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov51, fair4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots21°C
Tue 3Nov40, poor4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots22°C
Wed 4Nov45, fair4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)289kJwind from the south, 5 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov45, fair4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)129kJwind from the north-west, 12 knots, offshore30°C
Fri 6Nov26, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)142kJwind from the south-south-west, 6 knots24°C
Sat 7Nov37, poor4 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the south-south-west, 4 knots22°C
Sun 8Nov24, poor3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)168kJwind from the south-south-west, 14 knots20°C
Mon 9Nov35, poor4 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)255kJwind from the north-north-east, 10 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov0, too big7 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.)442kJwind from the north-north-east, 13 knots24°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 02:41 −0.4 mHigh 09:41 +0.3 mLow 16:08 −0.2 mHigh 22:21 +0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:35 −0.3 mHigh 11:30 +0.4 mLow 18:01 −0.3 mHigh 23:59 +0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:04 −0.4 mHigh 12:39 +0.6 mLow 19:04 −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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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 Palm Beach

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

The spot faces SE (124°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (304°). 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 700 m out (1 in 68). 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). The town to stay in is Southbroom, 8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 24°C: no 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$1,290–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 MGH, 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: 3 towns

Closest

Leisure Bay

about 15 min by car · 18 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 18 places to stay in Leisure Bay · Booking.com

About Leisure 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 55m

About 30h 55m 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

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