Gordons Bay, Back Reef
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
27Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 6 ft swell at 8 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- SE 8 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 239kJ
- Wind
- SSE 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 131kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 178kJ
- Wind
- WNW 15 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Fri 6 · 8 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 130kJ
- Wind
- W 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Sat 7 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 477kJ
- Wind
- SSE 11 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 368kJ
- Wind
- ESE 18 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 136, too small
- Mon 223, too small
- Tue 327, too small
- Wed 420, too small
- Thu 56, too small
- Fri 68, too small
- Sat 734, poor
- Sun 843, too small
- Mon 910, too small
- Tue 105, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces Wtakes swell from the W
- Offshore: Ewind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 5–20 ftof swell
- Water 17 °C3/2 wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
Gordons Bay, Back Reef does not suit intermediates. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Expert | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 36, too small | 5 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 337kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 23, too small | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | offshorewind from the south-east, 8 knots, offshore | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, too small | 4 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.) | 239kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 20, too small | 3 ft8 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 6, too small | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 178kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 15 knots | 18°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 8, too small | 3 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 130kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 34, poor | 6 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 477kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 11 knots | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 43, too small | 6 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 368kJ | offshorewind from the east-south-east, 18 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 10, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 19°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, too small | 1 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots | 17°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 01:14 −0.4 mHigh 07:43 +0.4 mLow 14:09 −0.3 mHigh 20:23 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:48 −0.3 mHigh 09:14 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:05 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.4 mHigh 10:43 +0.5 mLow 17:25 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 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.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Gordons Bay, Back Reef 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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Photos of Gordons Bay, Back Reef
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More surf near here
5 places
- Gordon's Bay , Bikini beach 0.2 km away
- Gordons Bay, Bikini Shorebreak. 0.2 km away
- Gordons Bay, helicopters 0.6 km away
- Harbour Island 1.7 km away
- Virgin Point 4.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Gordons Bay, Back Reef
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces W (281°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (101°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 32). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in May, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Gordons Bay, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots and 5 dive sites.
Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. 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$2,540 each
about US$1,300–US$2,540 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 30 October 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$858–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$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,300–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: 3 towns
4 min by car · 56 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Gordons Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Strand on Booking.com
13 min by car · 53 places to stay
- Beds in Somerset West on Booking.com
17 min by car · 15 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 26h 40m
About 26h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 55 min by road
Flights MDW → CPT 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.