Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 275kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 348kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 206kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 453kJ
- Wind
- WSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 184kJ
- Wind
- SW 11 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 789kJ
- Wind
- SW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 236, poor
- Tue 340, poor
- Wed 444, poor
- Thu 537, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 727, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 923, poor
- Tue 1010, poor
- Wed 1149, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 36, poor | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 305kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 40, poor | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 275kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 44, poor | 5 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 348kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft9 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 206kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 453kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, poor | 4 ft8 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 184kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 789kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, poor | 4 ft9 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 220kJ | wind from the south-west, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 49, fair | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 22°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 02:50 −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
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:07 −0.4 mHigh 12:34 +0.6 mLow 19:01 −0.5 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 Tue 3 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
Gonubie Lefts 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
- Gonubie Point 0.6 km away
- Yellowsands Point 5 km away
- Yellows Beach Break 5.1 km away
- Queensbury Lefts 8.2 km away
- Bonza Bay 8.5 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gonubie Lefts
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 sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 68). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 20°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 24°C in January, 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 Gonubie, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 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$1,340–US$2,620 each
about US$1,340–US$2,620 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 ELS, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$892–US$1,860 |
| 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$1,340–US$2,620 |
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 · 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
about 30 min by car · 86 places to stay
- Beds in Haga Haga on Booking.com
about 50 min by car · 9 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 55m
About 30h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ELS, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → ELS 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.