Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: Sea 0.7 m, Water 17 °C, Wind 3 kn
Tue 3 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 18°C
Wed 4 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 3kn
- Air
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 51 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 19 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 39 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 21 kn
- Gusts
- 28knboats in
- Air
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 20°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 256, fair
- Tue 361, good
- Wed 464, good
- Thu 551, fair
- Fri 658, fair
- Sat 759, fair
- Sun 839, poor
- Mon 963, good
- Tue 1062, good
- Wed 1156, fair
The site in four facts
- Open Waterand up
- Water 17 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces Eswell from there reaches it
- Best in Feb6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 56, fair | 1.0 m | 16 kn | 20kn | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 61, good | 0.8 m | 10 kn | 12kn | 18°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 64, good | 0.7 m | 3 kn | 3kn | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 51, fair | 0.7 m | 19 kn | 24kn | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 58, fair | 1.0 m | 12 kn | 17kn | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 59, fair | 1.0 m | 10 kn | 16kn | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 39, poor | 1.3 m | 21 kn | 28knboats in | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 63, good | 0.7 m | 5 kn | 16kn | 20°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 62, good | 0.5 m | 10 kn | 12kn | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 56, fair | 1.0 m | 12 kn | 15kn | 19°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
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 in Feb
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Buffels Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: 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.
More diving near here
5 places
- Shark Alley (False Bay) 4.2 km away
- Phyllisia Shipwreck 5.7 km away
- Nolloth 7.9 km away
- Diving the Cape Peninsula and False Bay/Josh's Reef 8.7 km away
- Thomas T. Tucker 9.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Buffels Bay
It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces E: swell from the E reaches it, and wind from the W blows out to sea. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 19°C in January, its warmest (7 mm wetsuit and hood). For Advanced divers the best month is usually February, with about 6 good days in 7; in August, about 3. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Scarborough Western Cape. Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 1 dive site.
- What it is No source states what kind of site it is.
- How deep No source states how deep it goes.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
Water about 17°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. 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$1,230–US$2,440 each
about US$1,230–US$2,440 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food.
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 CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$859–US$1,780 |
| 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 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,440 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Scarborough Western Cape
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 30 min by car · 19 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Scarborough Western Cape 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 2 November 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
Flights MDW → CPT on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Scarborough Western Cape · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Scarborough Western Cape · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
No dive centre mapped within 25 km.
Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
What is under the water (visibility, current, life) no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
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.