Bonza Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
44Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 275kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 227kJ
- Wind
- SSE 0 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 331kJ
- Wind
- WSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 153kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- WSW 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 42 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 138kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 538kJ
- Wind
- SE 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 135, poor
- Mon 249, fair
- Tue 355, fair
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 541, poor
- Fri 642, poor
- Sat 742, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 924, poor
- Tue 1026, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 22 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 49, fair | 5 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 55, fair | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 0 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 331kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, poor | 3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 153kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 42, poor | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 138kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 538kJ | wind from the south-east, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 23°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 01:23 −0.5 mHigh 08:03 +0.4 mLow 14:03 −0.3 mHigh 20:30 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:50 −0.4 mHigh 09:52 +0.3 mLow 16:12 −0.2 mHigh 22:28 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:44 −0.3 mHigh 11:29 +0.4 mLow 18:01 −0.3 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 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.
Best time to go
best May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Bonza Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Nahoon Beach Break 2 km away
- Nahoon Reef 2.7 km away
- Eastern Beach 4.8 km away
- Kennaway Ledge 5.9 km away
- Gashers 6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Bonza Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (134°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (314°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 55). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in September, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 25°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is East London, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 22°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$1,290–US$2,540 each
about US$1,290–US$2,540 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 ELS, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,860 |
| 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$1,290–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
11 min by car · 47 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Gonubie its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in East London on Booking.com
13 min by car · 86 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 40m
About 30h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ELS, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → ELS on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.