Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Tue 3 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 49kJ
- Wind
- SSW 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 62kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 157kJ
- Wind
- ESE 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 113kJ
- Wind
- S 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 14 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 324kJ
- Wind
- S 13 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 264kJ
- Wind
- SW 7 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 354, fair
- Wed 446, fair
- Thu 532, too small
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 745, fair
- Sun 814, poor
- Mon 917, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1140, poor
- Thu 1252, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Zinkwazi does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 54, fair | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 62kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 33°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 4 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 157kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 45, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 113kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 14, poor | 5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 324kJ | wind from the south, 13 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 17, poor | 4 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 264kJ | wind from the south-west, 7 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft9 ssoft8 ft at break (est.) | 574kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 40, poor | 5 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 132kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 26°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 04:23 −0.3 mHigh 11:21 +0.5 mLow 17:55 −0.3 mHigh 23:54 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:59 −0.4 mHigh 12:35 +0.6 mLow 19:02 −0.5 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 00:58 +0.4 mLow 07:00 −0.6 mHigh 13:25 +0.8 mLow 19:46 −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–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
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 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 Wed 4 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
Zinkwazi 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.
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
2 places
- Umvoti mouth 15.5 km away
- Tinley Manor North Point 21.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Zinkwazi
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (130°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (310°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.1 km out (1 in 115). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Darnall, 7.1 km away (about 15 min by car).
Water about 23°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$1,340–US$2,640 each
about US$1,340–US$2,640 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 3 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$899–US$1,870 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$148–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,340–US$2,640 |
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 15 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Darnall its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in KwaDukuza on Booking.com
about 25 min by car
- Beds in Salt Rock on Booking.com
about 55 min by car · 61 places to stay
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 3 November 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 35m
About 30h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 1h 10m by road
Flights ORD → DUR on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
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.