Sards
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 519kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 191kJ
- Wind
- E 1 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 434kJ
- Wind
- E 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- WSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 693kJ
- Wind
- W 14 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 4 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 405kJ
- Wind
- SW 18 kn
- Temp
- 18°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 10 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 1,385kJ
- Wind
- WNW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 20, too big
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 424, poor
- Thu 520, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 74, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 935, poor
- Tue 1010, poor
- Wed 1141, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 18 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jun1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 519kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | wind from the east, 1 knot | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 24, poor | 6 ft9 scrumbling7 ft at break (est.) | 434kJ | wind from the east, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 693kJ | wind from the west, 14 knots | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 4, poor | 6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 405kJ | wind from the south-west, 18 knots | 18°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 10 ft9 ssoft11 ft at break (est.) | 1,385kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, poor | 5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 180kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 13 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, poor | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 19 knots | 20°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 41, poor | 5 ft12 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 642kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 19°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 02:53 −0.3 mHigh 09:43 +0.4 mLow 16:16 −0.3 mHigh 22:25 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:43 −0.3 mHigh 11:22 +0.5 mLow 17:56 −0.4 mHigh 23:56 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:03 −0.4 mHigh 12:28 +0.6 mLow 18:57 −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–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
- 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
- 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
Sards 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.
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.
More surf near here
4 places
- Doughnuts 0.9 km away
- Doughnuts Backreef 1 km away
- Schoenies 3.5 km away
- Beachview 16.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Sards
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (180°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (0°). 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 250 m out (1 in 26). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 17°C in August, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Clarendon Marine. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.
Water about 18°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$1,290–US$2,540 each
about US$1,290–US$2,540 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 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PLZ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$884–US$1,840 |
| 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$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,290–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
about 25 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Noordhoek Eastern Cape its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Clarendon Marine on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 8 places to stay
- Beds in Gqeberha on Booking.com
about 25 min by car · 86 places to stay
Nearest beds: Clarendon Marine, 13 km (about 25 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 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 25m
About 30h 25m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PLZ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → PLZ on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
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.