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Buffalo Bay (Opies)
Surf spot · South Africa
That date has passed, so this trip starts today.
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- ESE 6 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 429kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 59 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 195kJ
- Wind
- WNW 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 513kJ
- Wind
- W 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 368kJ
- Wind
- W 9 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 1,274kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 252kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 452, fair
- Thu 559, fair
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 955, fair
- Tue 1035, poor
- Wed 1170, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best Apr–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 5 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 6 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 52, fair | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 429kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 59, fair | 4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 513kJ | wind from the west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 368kJ | wind from the west, 9 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 scrumbling11 ft at break (est.) | 1,274kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft9 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 252kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 35, poor | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 70, good | 4 ft12 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 518kJ | wind from the north-west, 2 knots | 21°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:46 −0.4 mHigh 11:16 +0.5 mLow 17:56 −0.4 mHigh 23:54 +0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:05 −0.5 mHigh 12:23 +0.7 mLow 18:56 −0.6 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 00:53 +0.5 mLow 06:59 −0.6 mHigh 13:13 +0.8 mLow 19:40 −0.7 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 Apr–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
- Apr1of 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 Wed 4 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
Buffalo Bay (Opies) 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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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
- Buffalo Bay (Reef) 0.7 km away
- Buffalo Bay (Rock) 0.7 km away
- Fish Boma 0.7 km away
- Wild Side 0.7 km away
- Buffalo Bay (Bert rock) 0.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Buffalo Bay (Opies)
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (192°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (12°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 16°C in July, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Knysna, 9.3 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 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$1,320–US$2,590 each
about US$1,320–US$2,590 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PBZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$879–US$1,830 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$148–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,590 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 min by car · 25 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Brenton on Sea its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Knysna on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 131 places to stay
- Beds in Sedgefield on Booking.com
about 30 min by car · 40 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 25m
About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PBZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → PBZ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.