Staying Home Sucks, home
Arniston WestCape
Arniston, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Bothar at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

Saxon (left)

Surf spot · South Africa

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 23 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 smushy
Energy
513kJ
Wind
ESE 12 kn
Temp
18°C

Wed 4 · 54 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 smushy
Energy
228kJ
Wind
ENE 7 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
228kJ
Wind
WSW 18 kn
Temp
22°C

Fri 6 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 smushy
Energy
227kJ
Wind
W 15 kn
Temp
20°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
456kJ
Wind
WSW 13 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
9 ft8 smushy
Energy
947kJ
Wind
E 15 kn
Temp
17°C

Mon 9 · 33 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
158kJ
Wind
SSE 4 kn
Temp
20°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 234, poor
  2. Tue 323, poor
  3. Wed 454, fair
  4. Thu 533, poor
  5. Fri 634, poor
  6. Sat 70, too big
  7. Sun 80, too big
  8. Mon 933, poor
  9. Tue 1035, poor
  10. Wed 117, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 19 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

Saxon (left) does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Saxon (left), each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov34, poor4 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the south-east, 7 knots18°C
Tue 3Nov23, poor6 ft9 smushy6 ft at break (est.)513kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots18°C
Wed 4Nov54, fair4 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.)228kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 knots19°C
Thu 5Nov33, poor4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)228kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots22°C
Fri 6Nov34, poor5 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)227kJwind from the west, 15 knots20°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big7 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)456kJwind from the west-south-west, 13 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big9 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)947kJwind from the east, 15 knots17°C
Mon 9Nov33, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)158kJwind from the south-south-east, 4 knots20°C
Tue 10Nov35, poor4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)162kJwind from the west-south-west, 15 knots22°C
Wed 11Nov7, poor5 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)536kJwind from the west-south-west, 18 knots24°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 02:41 −0.4 mHigh 09:22 +0.5 mLow 16:07 −0.4 mHigh 22:11 +0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:30 −0.4 mHigh 10:52 +0.5 mLow 17:36 −0.5 mHigh 23:36 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:47 −0.5 mHigh 11:58 +0.7 mLow 18:35 −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 and its town

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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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

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Saxon (left)

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

The spot faces SE (143°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (323°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 650 m out (1 in 66). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 15°C in July, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 22°C in February, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Arniston, 3.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots.

Water about 19°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$1,300–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: Arniston

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Closest

Arniston

about 5 min by car · 12 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 12 places to stay in Arniston · Booking.com

About Arniston 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 29h

About 29h door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 3h 15m 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.