Staying Home Sucks, home
Clarens Drive - Cape Whale Coast - Western Cape
Paranoia. Photo: Gustav Ludick, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Paranoia

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

40Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 63 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
327kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Wed 4 · 56 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
146kJ
Wind
WNW 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 21 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
200kJ
Wind
WNW 15 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
220kJ
Wind
WSW 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
407kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 15 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
92kJ
Wind
E 13 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 49 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
147kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 220, poor
  2. Tue 363, good
  3. Wed 456, fair
  4. Thu 521, poor
  5. Fri 624, poor
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 815, poor
  8. Mon 949, fair
  9. Tue 1040, poor
  10. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Paranoia, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov20, poor5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)321kJwind from the south-south-east, 13 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov63, good5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)327kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore23°C
Wed 4Nov56, fair3 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)146kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot27°C
Thu 5Nov21, poor4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)200kJwind from the west-north-west, 15 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov24, poor5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)220kJwind from the west-south-west, 10 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)407kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov15, poor4 ft6 smushy1 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov49, fair3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)147kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov40, poor4 ft13 smushy7 ft at break (est.)441kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots20°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big7 ft10 smushy9 ft at break (est.)833kJwind from the north-north-west, 19 knots18°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, its town, photos

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.

Photos of Paranoia

False Bay - panoramio (6)
Near Paranoia. Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kogel Bay, Gordon's Bay, South Africa
Near Paranoia. Photo: Aerial Picture and Video, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Paranoia

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

The spot faces W (261°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (81°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 dive site.

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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$859–US$1,780
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$161–US$275
Food7 days eating outabout US$148–US$268
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout 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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Gordons Bay

about 20 min by car · 56 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 56 places to stay in Gordons Bay · Booking.com

About Gordons Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Gordons Bay, 10 km (about 20 min by car)

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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 26h 45m

About 26h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h by road

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