Donkey Bay, Namibia

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 23 km.

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About Donkey Bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (298°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (118°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 750 m out (1 in 73). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 23 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 31 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to WVB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
See flights MDW → WVB · Skyscanner from about £710 returnAd
Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Donkey Bay.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 23 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Donkey Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Donkey Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Donkey Bay on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Donkey Bay, each day
Day	Score for experts	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	19, poor	6 ft8 smushy	434kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots	16°C
Tue 20Oct	22, too small	5 ft8 smushy	329kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 6 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	12, too small	4 ft7 smushy	157kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots	15°C
Thu 22Oct	10, too small	4 ft9 ssoft	241kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots	17°C
Fri 23Oct	20, too small	5 ft7 smushy	241kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots	17°C
Sat 24Oct	19, too small	5 ft7 smushy	241kJ	wind from the north-north-west, 8 knots	16°C
Sun 25Oct	27, too small	6 ft7 smushy	287kJ	wind from the north-west, 5 knots	16°C
Mon 26Oct	16, too small	5 ft7 smushy	167kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	16°C
Tue 27Oct	6, too small	3 ft6 smushy	63kJ	wind from the south-west, 10 knots	17°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to WVB, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 31h 30 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 22 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 21 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to WVB, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 31h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,005–£2,005 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
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	£710–£1,480
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£40–£65
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£1,005–£2,005

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

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Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

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