McDougals Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- S 10 kn
- Temp
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 295kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Thu 5 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 scrumbling
- Energy
- 193kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 613kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sat 7 · 33 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 scrumbling
- Energy
- 212kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 9 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 988kJ
- Wind
- SSE 3 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Mon 9 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 277kJ
- Wind
- WNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 29, poor
- Tue 324, poor
- Wed 455, fair
- Thu 541, too small
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 733, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 920, poor
- Tue 1032, poor
- Wed 110, too big
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 14 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best Mar–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
McDougals Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 9, poor | 5 ft10 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 391kJ | wind from the south, 20 knots | 17°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 295kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 19°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 41, too small | 3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 193kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 613kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 18°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 33, poor | 4 ft8 scrumbling6 ft at break (est.) | 212kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 9 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.) | 988kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 20, poor | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 277kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, poor | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 18°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft11 scrumbling9 ft at break (est.) | 833kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 8 knots | 18°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 02:39 −0.4 mHigh 09:10 +0.5 mLow 15:49 −0.4 mHigh 22:02 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:17 −0.4 mHigh 10:33 +0.5 mLow 17:13 −0.5 mHigh 23:21 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:32 −0.5 mHigh 11:39 +0.6 mLow 18:13 −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 Mar–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
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 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
McDougals Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Port Nolloth Reef 1.5 km away
- Rollers 9.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About McDougals Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (246°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (66°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 35). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 12°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 or 5/4, boots and gloves), and 16°C in February, its warmest (3/2 wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Nolloth, 4.1 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. 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).
Where to stay: Port Nolloth
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about 10 min by car · 12 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Port Nolloth 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
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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.