Staying Home Sucks, home
Mossel Bay, Downtown
Mossel Bay, the nearest town, 32 km away. Photo: Dellex, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Tidle Pool

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

26Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 9: 5 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 20 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 smushy
Energy
389kJ
Wind
ESE 9 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
323kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
6 ft6 smushy
Energy
264kJ
Wind
SW 8 kn
Temp
20°C

Fri 6 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 smushy
Energy
298kJ
Wind
W 10 kn
Temp
19°C

Sat 7 · 19 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
300kJ
Wind
WSW 18 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 26 out of 100

Swell
8 ft9 smushy
Energy
864kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
18°C

Mon 9 · 37 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
167kJ
Wind
NNE 1 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 232, too small
  2. Tue 320, too small
  3. Wed 428, too small
  4. Thu 520, poor
  5. Fri 616, too small
  6. Sat 719, too small
  7. Sun 826, poor
  8. Mon 937, too small
  9. Tue 1010, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
  • Best May–Jun1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Tidle Pool, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov32, too small5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)355kJwind from the west, 6 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov20, too small5 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.)389kJwind from the east-south-east, 9 knots19°C
Wed 4Nov28, too small5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)323kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots20°C
Thu 5Nov20, poor6 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)264kJwind from the south-west, 8 knots20°C
Fri 6Nov16, too small5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)298kJwind from the west, 10 knots19°C
Sat 7Nov19, too small5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)300kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov26, poor8 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)864kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots18°C
Mon 9Nov37, too small5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the north-north-east, 1 knot20°C
Tue 10Nov10, too small4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)162kJwind from the west-south-west, 15 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 02:51 −0.4 mHigh 09:36 +0.5 mLow 16:15 −0.3 mHigh 22:21 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:40 −0.4 mHigh 11:09 +0.5 mLow 17:50 −0.5 mHigh 23:49 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:59 −0.5 mHigh 12:16 +0.7 mLow 18:50 −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 and its town

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.

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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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Tidle Pool

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

The spot faces SE (147°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (327°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in June, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mossel Bay. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 19°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$1,310–US$2,570 each

about US$1,310–US$2,570 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 GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$871–US$1,810
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$1,310–US$2,570

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

Mossel Bay

about 55 min by car · 79 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 79 places to stay in Mossel Bay · Booking.com

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

Nearest beds: Mossel Bay, 32 km (about 55 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 30h 55m

About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 1h 20m by road

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