Pennington
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- NNE 11 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 36 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 199kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 137kJ
- Wind
- SSW 16 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 108kJ
- Wind
- WSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 248, fair
- Tue 334, poor
- Wed 452, fair
- Thu 532, poor
- Fri 636, poor
- Sat 749, fair
- Sun 828, poor
- Mon 940, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1157, fair
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
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 60kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 52, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 11 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 28, poor | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 137kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, poor | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 378kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 57, fair | 4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 23°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 02:38 −0.3 mHigh 09:38 +0.3 mLow 16:06 −0.2 mHigh 22:21 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:37 −0.3 mHigh 11:27 +0.4 mLow 18:03 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:00 +0.3 mLow 06:08 −0.4 mHigh 12:38 +0.6 mLow 19:06 −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.
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 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
Pennington on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Vulamanzi Point 2 km away
- Happy Wanderers 2.2 km away
- Rocky Bay 4.8 km away
- Donkey Kong Island 4.9 km away
- Ifafa Pipes 6.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pennington
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). 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 21°C in August, 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 Pennington, 0 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.
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$1,340–US$2,640 each
about US$1,340–US$2,640 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$899–US$1,870 |
| 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$148–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,340–US$2,640 |
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
about 5 min by car · 22 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Pennington its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Scottburgh on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Mtwalume on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 15 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 20m
About 31h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 1h 55m by road
Flights ORD → DUR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.