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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Book the trip

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

Donkey Bay does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Donkey Bay, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	30, poor	4 ft13 ssoft	486kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 15 knots	16°C
Mon 19Oct	6, poor	6 ft10 ssoft	544kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 24 knots	17°C
Tue 20Oct	26, poor	5 ft8 ssoft	282kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots	15°C
Wed 21Oct	29, poor	3 ft9 smushy	159kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 7 knots	15°C
Thu 22Oct	30, poor	4 ft6 smushy	80kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots	17°C
Fri 23Oct	33, poor	5 ft7 smushy	208kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	16°C
Sat 24Oct	33, poor	5 ft7 smushy	188kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 5 knots	15°C
Sun 25Oct	34, poor	5 ft7 smushy	178kJ	wind from the north-west, 5 knots	16°C
Mon 26Oct	31, poor	5 ft6 smushy	164kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	16°C
Tue 27Oct	6, poor	6 ft7 smushy	262kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 16 knots	17°C

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 Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to WVB, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 31h 30 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 31 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Donkey Bay
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, wind 7 kn (12 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Donkey Bay
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Donkey Bay
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Donkey Bay
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 5 kn (10 km/h).
Sun 25 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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