Staying Home Sucks, home
Mariner's Wharf in Hout Bay
Hout Bay Harbour Wall. Photo: Luomomi, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Hout Bay Harbour Wall

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

34Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 8 s, onshore wind, 11 kn (21 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 36 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
392kJ
Wind
W 5 kn
Temp
20°C

Wed 4 · 33 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 ssoft
Energy
276kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 21 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
808kJ
Wind
NW 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Fri 6 · 45 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 smushy
Energy
702kJ
Wind
WNW 11 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 34 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
617kJ
Wind
SSW 11 kn
Temp
16°C

Sun 8 · 31 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 smushy
Energy
659kJ
Wind
SE 10 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 22 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
199kJ
Wind
W 2 kn
Temp
20°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 216, poor
  2. Tue 336, too small
  3. Wed 433, too small
  4. Thu 521, poor
  5. Fri 645, fair
  6. Sat 734, poor
  7. Sun 831, poor
  8. Mon 922, too small
  9. Tue 1021, too small
  10. Wed 1169, good

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 7–20 ftof swell
  • Water 16 °C3/2 wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Hout Bay Harbour Wall, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov16, poor7 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)685kJwind from the south-south-east, 14 knots19°C
Tue 3Nov36, too small5 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)392kJwind from the west, 5 knots20°C
Wed 4Nov33, too small5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)276kJwind from the south, 1 knot19°C
Thu 5Nov21, poor7 ft10 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)808kJwind from the north-west, 15 knots17°C
Fri 6Nov45, fair8 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)702kJwind from the west-north-west, 11 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov34, poor7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)617kJwind from the south-south-west, 11 knots16°C
Sun 8Nov31, poor7 ft9 smushy8 ft at break (est.)659kJwind from the south-east, 10 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov22, too small4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)199kJwind from the west, 2 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov21, too small5 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.)691kJwind from the west-south-west, 7 knots17°C
Wed 11Nov69, good8 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)1,141kJwind from the north-west, 8 knots, offshore17°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 02:49 −0.3 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 15:59 −0.4 mHigh 22:06 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.3 mHigh 10:44 +0.5 mLow 17:24 −0.5 mHigh 23:29 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:40 −0.4 mHigh 11:51 +0.5 mLow 18:24 −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.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

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.

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.

Photos of Hout Bay Harbour Wall

Hout Bay
Photo: Darren Glanville from Acle, Norfolk, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Seagulls at Hout Bay harbour. - panoramio
Photo: ~ souTH AFRica ~, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Hout Bay Harbour Wall

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (189°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (9°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 7–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 43). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in June, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Hout Bay, 0.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 9 dive sites.

Water about 16°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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to CPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$859–US$1,780
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$67–US$114
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$161–US$275
Food7 days eating outabout US$148–US$268
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$67–US$107
Totalabout 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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Hout Bay

about 5 min by car · 49 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 49 places to stay in Hout Bay · Booking.com

About Hout Bay 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 35m

About 26h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 45 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.