ISO 24444 / ISO 24443 EU COLIPA and SANS 1557 Verified Broadspectrum Sunscreens
Plettenberg Bay Surf Report
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SURF RATING
GOOD
★★★★☆
Great conditions: chest-to-head-high waves on moderate-period swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.
WAVE
1.5 m
SWELL
1.1m @ 9s
WIND
5 km/h Offshore
WATER
14.2°C
★★★★☆
Great conditions: chest-to-head-high waves on moderate-period swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.
Swell: 1.1 m @ 9 s (SSW)
Wave height: 1.5 m
Wind: 5 km/h NNW Offshore
Sea temp: 14.2 °C · Wetsuit: 4/3 mm wetsuit + booties
Best window today: 18:00–20:00 (lightest wind)
🧬 Break DNA
54% match
Today: rideable but not classic
🌊 Wave type
Beach break (Central + the Wedge)
🧭 Best swell
SE groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
NW offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Beginner-friendly on the smaller days
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.
🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now
- Mid-period SSW swell at 9s is hitting at an angle
- 4 km/h offshore wind is grooming it clean
- Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
🏄 When to paddle out today
🏄 Reading today’s surf…
■ epic ■ clean ■ fun ■ marginal ■ flat ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour
🎒 Pack for this session
🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
4/3 mm wetsuit + booties
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
🧢 Bring
Boots & hood
🌅Dawn window:Best quality, coolest — usually the quietest crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
■ swell in ■ wind (green=offshore/good) offshore zone
Spot match
5-day wave & wind forecast
■ wave height (m) ── wind (km/h, right)
7-Day Surf Forecast
| Day | Rating | Wave | Period | Swell | Midday wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 9 Sep | ★★★★★ | 1.4 m | 9 s | SSW | 5 km/h Offshore |
| Thu 10 Sep | ★★★★☆ | 1.9 m | 10 s | SW | 11 km/h Cross |
| Fri 11 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 2.1 m | 9 s | SSW | 7 km/h Onshore |
| Sat 12 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 2.2 m | 8 s | S | 9 km/h Onshore |
| Sun 13 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 2.7 m | 11 s | SSW | 18 km/h Onshore |
| Mon 14 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 2.6 m | 7 s | ESE | 3 km/h Cross |
| Tue 15 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 1.4 m | 9 s | SW | 3 km/h Onshore |
Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.
🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)
☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day
Sunrise 06:32 · Sunset 18:15 · Peak UV 6
Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.
Shop SPF 50 sunscreen →Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:13 SAST.
Aerial map — Plettenberg Bay
Central Beach
The Wedge
Rocks
PeakTake-off / peakHazard rocks
Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.
About Plettenberg Bay — Surf Local Knowledge
Plettenberg Bay is a broad, north-east-facing bay backed by the Robberg peninsula, with a run of beaches — Central (Main) Beach, Robberg Beach and Lookout — curving round towards the Keurbooms river mouth. It is a bustling holiday town with warm, clean water.
Central Beach is a gentle beach break ideal for beginners and learners, while Robberg and Lookout offer more consistent, punchier peaks for improving and intermediate surfers. The bay works on south to south-west and south-east swells and is cleanest in light offshore winds off the land; note that the sandbanks shift and Lookout Beach in particular reshapes dramatically as the Keurbooms mouth migrates. Watch for rips near the river mouth and around the sandbars when the swell is up.