Plettenberg Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
39Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: 7 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 454kJ
- Wind
- W 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 405kJ
- Wind
- ESE 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 390kJ
- Wind
- N 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 292kJ
- Wind
- W 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 589kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 544kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 775kJ
- Wind
- SE 7 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 138, too small
- Mon 239, too small
- Tue 320, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 526, too small
- Fri 651, fair
- Sat 750, fair
- Sun 832, poor
- Mon 98, too small
- Tue 1027, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 7–20 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
Full forecast
every day, every number
Plettenberg Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 38, too small | 6 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 386kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 39, too small | 6 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 454kJ | offshorewind from the west, 5 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, too small | 6 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 405kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 390kJ | wind from the north, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 26, too small | 5 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 292kJ | offshorewind from the west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 51, fair | 7 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 589kJ | offshorewind from the west, 8 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 50, fair | 7 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 544kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 32, poor | 8 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 775kJ | wind from the south-east, 7 knots | 17°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 8, too small | 5 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 310kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 18°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 142kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 6 knots, offshore | 21°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:26 −0.5 mHigh 08:01 +0.5 mLow 14:17 −0.3 mHigh 20:38 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:57 −0.3 mHigh 09:44 +0.4 mLow 16:19 −0.3 mHigh 22:29 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:46 −0.4 mHigh 11:19 +0.5 mLow 17:55 −0.4 mHigh 23:55 +0.4 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
Plettenberg Bay 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Plettenberg Bay
More surf near here
5 places
- The Point 0.8 km away
- Plett Wedge 1 km away
- The Wedge 1 km away
- Robberg 1.1 km away
- Bi Reef 1.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Plettenberg Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (116°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (296°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 111). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 17°C in May, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Plettenberg Bay, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf 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$1,270–US$2,510 each
about US$1,270–US$2,510 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
| 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,270–US$2,510 |
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
2 min by car · 118 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Plettenberg Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Nature's Valley on Booking.com
31 min by car · 9 places to stay
- Beds in Knysna on Booking.com
54 min by car · 131 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 05m
About 30h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PBZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → PBZ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.