Four poles
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
22Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 6 ft swell at 6 s
Tue 3 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- ESE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 52kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- NE 7 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Fri 6 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 231kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 316kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 270kJ
- Wind
- NE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 318, too small
- Wed 417, too small
- Thu 59, too small
- Fri 630, too small
- Sat 719, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 933, poor
- Tue 1050, fair
- Wed 1148, fair
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 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 18, too small | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 52kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the north-east, 7 knots | 33°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 30, too small | 6 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 231kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 19, too small | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 316kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 33, poor | 6 ft6 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 270kJ | wind from the north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 50, fair | 6 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 353kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 48, fair | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 349kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 24°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 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 11:24 +0.5 mLow 17:59 −0.3 mHigh 23:58 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:02 −0.4 mHigh 12:36 +0.6 mLow 19:03 −0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 01:00 +0.4 mLow 07:01 −0.6 mHigh 13:26 +0.7 mLow 19:47 −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.
Best time to go
best in Jun
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
- Feb1of 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
- Jun2of 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
Four poles on Google Maps · Directions
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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More surf near here
5 places
- Salt Rock 0.3 km away
- Tiffanys 0.6 km away
- Christmas Bay 2.9 km away
- Ballito 5.7 km away
- Salmon Bay 6.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Four poles
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (123°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (303°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 45). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ballito, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 23°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$1,300–US$2,570 each
about US$1,300–US$2,570 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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$899–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$1,300–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: 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 5 min by car · 61 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Salt Rock its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Ballito on Booking.com
about 15 min by car · 108 places to stay
- Beds in KwaDukuza on Booking.com
about 30 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h
About 30h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → DUR 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.