Staying Home Sucks, home
Plettenberg Bay, South Africa1
Near The Point. Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Point

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 21 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 smushy
Energy
409kJ
Wind
ESE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 32 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
390kJ
Wind
SE 0 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 28 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
274kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 60 out of 100

Swell
8 ft7 smushy
Energy
570kJ
Wind
W 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
319kJ
Wind
W 12 kn
Temp
18°C

Sun 8 · 33 out of 100

Swell
9 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,204kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 41 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
195kJ
Wind
W 1 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 246, fair
  2. Tue 321, too small
  3. Wed 432, too small
  4. Thu 528, too small
  5. Fri 660, good
  6. Sat 737, too small
  7. Sun 833, poor
  8. Mon 941, too small
  9. Tue 1028, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at The Point, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov46, fair6 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)454kJwind from the west, 5 knots, offshore19°C
Tue 3Nov21, too small6 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.)409kJwind from the east-south-east, 7 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov32, too small5 ft9 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)390kJwind from the south-east, 0 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov28, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)274kJwind from the west, 10 knots, offshore21°C
Fri 6Nov60, good8 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)570kJwind from the west, 8 knots, offshore20°C
Sat 7Nov37, too small6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)319kJwind from the west, 12 knots, offshore18°C
Sun 8Nov33, poor9 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,204kJwind from the east, 5 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov41, too small5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.)195kJwind from the west, 1 knot, offshore20°C
Tue 10Nov28, too small4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)114kJwind from the west-south-west, 12 knots, offshore20°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 02:57 −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
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:04 −0.5 mHigh 12:25 +0.6 mLow 18:55 −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, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: 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 The Point

Plettenberg Bay, Jihoafrická republika - panoramio
Near The Point. Photo: Pavel Špindler, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Whale Rock Beach, Plettenberg Bay
Near The Point. Photo: Jürgen Kehrberger, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The Point

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

The spot faces SE (113°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (293°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 48). 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, 0.9 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 7 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to PBZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$878–US$1,820
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
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$1,270–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

Closest

Plettenberg Bay

about 5 min by car · 118 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 118 places to stay in Plettenberg Bay · Booking.com

About Plettenberg Bay 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 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

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