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Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Stinky Pits!

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

42Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 42 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
266kJ
Wind
SE 17 kn
Temp
18°C

Tue 3 · 76 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
244kJ
Wind
E 13 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
169kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft11 smushy
Energy
339kJ
Wind
WNW 28 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
246kJ
Wind
W 19 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
173kJ
Wind
SSW 7 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft8 ssoft
Energy
390kJ
Wind
ESE 22 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 10, too big
  2. Mon 242, poor
  3. Tue 376, good
  4. Wed 462, good
  5. Thu 518, poor
  6. Fri 612, poor
  7. Sat 716, poor
  8. Sun 812, poor
  9. Mon 953, fair
  10. Tue 107, too small

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 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Stinky Pits!, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov0, too big8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)859kJwind from the south-south-west, 8 knots18°C
Mon 2Nov42, poor5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)266kJwind from the south-east, 17 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 3Nov76, good4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the east, 13 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov62, good4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore19°C
Thu 5Nov18, poor4 ft11 smushy6 ft at break (est.)339kJwind from the west-north-west, 28 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov12, poor4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)246kJwind from the west, 19 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov16, poor5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)173kJwind from the south-south-west, 7 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov12, poor6 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)390kJwind from the east-south-east, 22 knots, offshore18°C
Mon 9Nov53, fair4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the east, 14 knots, offshore20°C
Tue 10Nov7, too small2 ft13 smushy4 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the 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

  • Sun 1 NovLow 01:11 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:07 −0.3 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:44 −0.3 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 16:03 −0.3 mHigh 22:07 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:46 +0.5 mLow 17:30 −0.5 mHigh 23:32 +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 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 Stinky Pits!

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

The spot faces W (281°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (101°). It is sheltered 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 600 m out (1 in 61). 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 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Gansbaai, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 dive site.

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$1,300–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 30 October 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$858–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$147–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: 2 towns

Closest

Gansbaai

2 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Gansbaai · Booking.com

About Gansbaai 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 27h 45m

About 27h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h by road

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