Skeleton Bay
Surf spot · Namibia
Is it worth the trip?
24Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- SSW 14 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Wed 4 · 10 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 64kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Thu 5 · 15 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 352kJ
- Wind
- SSW 17 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Fri 6 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 scrumbling
- Energy
- 356kJ
- Wind
- SSW 15 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Sat 7 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 238kJ
- Wind
- SW 11 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 297kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 15°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 463kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 14°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 233, poor
- Tue 314, too small
- Wed 410, too small
- Thu 515, too small
- Fri 619, too small
- Sat 711, too small
- Sun 837, poor
- Mon 937, poor
- Tue 103, too small
- Wed 1138, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
- Offshore: SEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 15 °C4/3 wetsuit and boots
- Best May–Jul1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 33, poor | 7 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 567kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 15°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 14, too small | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft12 shollowunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 64kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 15°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 15, too small | 4 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.) | 352kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 17 knots | 16°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 19, too small | 5 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 356kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots | 14°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 11, too small | 5 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 238kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 15°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, poor | 6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 297kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 15°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, poor | 6 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 463kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 14°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 3, too small | 1 ft16 shollow1 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south, 14 knots | 15°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 38, too small | 5 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 532kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 7 knots | 14°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 03:00 −0.3 mHigh 09:33 +0.4 mLow 15:58 −0.4 mHigh 22:30 +0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:35 −0.3 mHigh 10:51 +0.5 mLow 17:19 −0.5 mHigh 23:41 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:48 −0.4 mHigh 11:54 +0.5 mLow 18:20 −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 May–Jul
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
- Jul1of 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
Skeleton Bay on Google Maps · Directions
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.
More surf near here
3 places
- Donkey Bay 0.8 km away
- Mussels 14.8 km away
- Guns 16 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Skeleton Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NW (293°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (113°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 36). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Walvis Bay, 9.3 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 15°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).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,240–US$2,430 each
about US$1,240–US$2,430 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to WVB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$798–US$1,660 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$60–US$107 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$154–US$262 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$141–US$255 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,240–US$2,430 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Walvis Bay
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 20 min by car · 27 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Walvis 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 31h 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → WVB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 45 min by road
Flights MDW → WVB 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.