Phantoms
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 323kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 460kJ
- Wind
- ENE 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 124kJ
- Wind
- W 28 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 631kJ
- Wind
- WSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 543kJ
- Wind
- SW 17 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,197kJ
- Wind
- WNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 274kJ
- Wind
- E 19 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 245, fair
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 657, fair
- Sat 743, poor
- Sun 848, fair
- Mon 96, too small
- Tue 1036, too small
- Wed 1130, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 7–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Phantoms does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 45, fair | 6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 546kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 6 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 323kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 6 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 460kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | offshorewind from the west, 28 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 57, fair | 8 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 631kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 17 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 43, poor | 7 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 543kJ | offshorewind from the south-west, 17 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 48, fair | 9 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 1,197kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 6, too small | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 274kJ | wind from the east, 19 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 241kJ | offshorewind from the west, 17 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, too small | 5 ft12 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 615kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 9 knots, offshore | 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 02:52 −0.3 mHigh 09:43 +0.4 mLow 16:15 −0.3 mHigh 22:26 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:40 −0.3 mHigh 11:21 +0.5 mLow 17:55 −0.4 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:02 −0.4 mHigh 12:28 +0.6 mLow 18:56 −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
Phantoms 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
- Sixty Nines 0.5 km away
- Boulders 0.8 km away
- Killers 0.9 km away
- Ducks 1.2 km away
- Bruce's Beauties 1.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Phantoms
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (81°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (261°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 7–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is St. Francis Bay, 2.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 surf spots and 2 wind sports spots.
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$1,330–US$2,610 each
about US$1,330–US$2,610 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 MDW to PLZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$886–US$1,850 |
| 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$1,330–US$2,610 |
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 · 20 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About St. Francis Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Cape St. Francis on Booking.com
about 10 min by car · 9 places to stay
- Beds in Jeffreys Bay on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 53 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 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PLZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 1h 35m by road
Flights MDW → PLZ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.