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Plettenberg Bay Surf Report

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SURF RATING
GOOD
★★★★☆
Great conditions: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.
WAVE
1.8 m
SWELL
1.4m @ 7s
WIND
1 km/h Offshore
WATER
20.0°C

★★★★☆

Great conditions: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, groomed clean by light offshore wind.

Swell: 1.4 m @ 7 s (S)

Wave height: 1.8 m

Wind: 1 km/h NW Offshore

Sea temp: 20.0 °C · Wetsuit: Shorty / springsuit

Best window today: 07:00–09:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
59% match
Today: a solid, fun day
🌊 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

Offshore windwave direction
  • Short, wind-driven S swell at 7s is hitting at an angle
  • 0 km/h offshore wind is grooming it clean
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Plettenberg Bay surf mission card
Save or screenshot, then send it to your crew on WhatsApp.

🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 1km/h Offshore01:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 1km/h Offshore02:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 1km/h Cross03:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 3km/h Cross04:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 3km/h Cross05:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 2km/h Offshore06:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 2km/h Offshore07:00 — Epic (★★★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 1km/h Offshore08:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 5km/h Onshore09:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 8km/h Onshore10:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 11km/h Onshore11:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 13km/h Onshore12:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 18km/h Onshore13:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore14:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore15:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 16km/h Onshore16:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 14km/h Onshore17:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 11km/h Onshore18:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 10km/h Onshore19:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 8km/h Onshore20:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 6km/h Onshore21:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 4km/h Onshore22:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 2km/h Onshore23:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.8m chest-head · 1km/h Onshorenow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
Shorty / springsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen (UV very high)
🦶 Bring
Booties for the rocks
🌅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
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
TueWedThuFriSatSun0.0m1.5m3.0m01121now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Tue 3 Nov ★★★☆☆ 1.8 m 8 s SSW 18 km/h Onshore
Wed 4 Nov ★★★☆☆ 1.8 m 9 s SSW 10 km/h Onshore
Thu 5 Nov ★★★★☆ 1.9 m 9 s SSW 19 km/h Cross
Fri 6 Nov ★★★☆☆ 2.4 m 7 s SW 18 km/h Cross
Sat 7 Nov ★★★☆☆ 2.6 m 8 s SSW 17 km/h Cross
Sun 8 Nov ★★★☆☆ 2.9 m 9 s SSW 18 km/h Onshore
Mon 9 Nov ★★☆☆☆ 2.1 m 6 s SE 14 km/h Onshore

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00L 05:18H 11:48L 18:16now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 05:22 · Sunset 18:57 · Peak UV 9

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 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Plettenberg Bay

Crayonised aerial map of 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.

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