Staying Home Sucks, home
False Bay - panoramio (6)
Tidal Pools. Photo: Kevin Stroup, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tidal Pools

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

41Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

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

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 63 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
310kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
23°C

Wed 4 · 58 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
133kJ
Wind
SW 3 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 smushy
Energy
101kJ
Wind
NNW 13 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
213kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
18°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
131kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 14 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
457kJ
Wind
SE 9 kn
Temp
24°C

Mon 9 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
184kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
22°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 230, poor
  2. Tue 363, good
  3. Wed 458, fair
  4. Thu 520, poor
  5. Fri 616, poor
  6. Sat 715, too small
  7. Sun 814, poor
  8. Mon 954, fair
  9. Tue 1040, poor

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 17 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Tidal Pools, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov30, poor6 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)390kJwind from the south-south-east, 12 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov63, good4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)310kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore23°C
Wed 4Nov58, fair3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov20, poor3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the north-north-west, 13 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov16, poor5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)213kJwind from the west, 10 knots18°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)131kJwind from the west, 4 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov14, poor5 ft9 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)457kJwind from the south-east, 9 knots, offshore24°C
Mon 9Nov54, fair4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)184kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots22°C
Tue 10Nov40, poor4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the south-west, 7 knots19°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 02:47 −0.3 mHigh 09:14 +0.4 mLow 16:00 −0.4 mHigh 22:05 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.4 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:26 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:42 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.6 mLow 18:25 −0.6 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 intermediates: 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 Tidal Pools

Kogel Bay, Gordon's Bay, South Africa
Photo: Aerial Picture and Video, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Clarens Drive - Cape Whale Coast - Western Cape
Photo: Gustav Ludick, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tidal Pools

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

The spot faces W (263°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (83°). 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 650 m out (1 in 63). 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 19°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Gordons Bay. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 dive site.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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: 3 towns

Closest

Gordons Bay

about 20 min by car · 56 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 56 places to stay in Gordons Bay · Booking.com

About Gordons Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Gordons Bay, 10 km (about 20 min by car)

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 26h 50m

About 26h 50m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 1h by road

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