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Western Cape, the wider area. Photo: Andresdewet at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

The Toilet (Chowpoo)

Surf spot · South Africa

That date has passed, so this trip starts today.

Is it worth the trip?

33Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 5 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 63 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
354kJ
Wind
SE 15 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 57 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
186kJ
Wind
ESE 6 kn
Temp
20°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 smushy
Energy
275kJ
Wind
W 22 kn
Temp
18°C

Fri 6 · 0 out of 100

Swell
7 ft8 smushy
Energy
582kJ
Wind
WNW 17 kn
Temp
17°C

Sat 7 · 0 out of 100

Swell
10 ft9 ssoft
Energy
1,290kJ
Wind
SSE 10 kn
Temp
17°C

Sun 8 · 0 out of 100

Swell
8 ft8 ssoft
Energy
903kJ
Wind
E 17 kn
Temp
21°C

Mon 9 · 33 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
143kJ
Wind
E 5 kn
Temp
18°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 363, good
  2. Wed 457, fair
  3. Thu 517, poor
  4. Fri 60, too big
  5. Sat 70, too big
  6. Sun 80, too big
  7. Mon 933, poor
  8. Tue 1016, poor
  9. Wed 110, too big

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Wtakes swell from the W
  • Offshore: Ewind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–11 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at The Toilet (Chowpoo), each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov63, good5 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)354kJwind from the south-east, 15 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov57, fair4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots, offshore20°C
Thu 5Nov17, poor3 ft12 smushy5 ft at break (est.)275kJwind from the west, 22 knots18°C
Fri 6Nov0, too big7 ft8 smushy8 ft at break (est.)582kJwind from the west-north-west, 17 knots17°C
Sat 7Nov0, too big10 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)1,290kJwind from the south-south-east, 10 knots17°C
Sun 8Nov0, too big8 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)903kJwind from the east, 17 knots21°C
Mon 9Nov33, poor4 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)143kJwind from the east, 5 knots, offshore18°C
Tue 10Nov16, poor4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)137kJwind from the west, 14 knots18°C
Wed 11Nov0, too big7 ft11 smushy8 ft at break (est.)918kJwind from the west-north-west, 25 knots19°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

  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:28 −0.3 mHigh 10:46 +0.5 mLow 17:30 −0.5 mHigh 23:32 +0.4 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:43 −0.4 mHigh 11:53 +0.6 mLow 18:28 −0.6 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 00:31 +0.5 mLow 06:37 −0.5 mHigh 12:43 +0.7 mLow 19:13 −0.7 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 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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About The Toilet (Chowpoo)

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

The spot faces W (279°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (99°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 550 m out (1 in 56). 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 20°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Gansbaai, 1.1 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 dive site.

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$1,300–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: 2 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

Gansbaai

about 5 min by car · 28 places to stay

about US$60/nightcountry average

See 28 places to stay in Gansbaai · Booking.com

About Gansbaai 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 27h 45m

About 27h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → CPT, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), then 2h by road

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

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