Haines Backdoor, South Africa

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Port Shepstone, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list.

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About Haines Backdoor

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

The spot faces SE (121°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (301°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 33). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually May, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Port Shepstone, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list. Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.

Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 31 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to MGH, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB).
See flights MDW → MGH · Skyscanner from about £800 returnAd
Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Haines Backdoor.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Port Shepstone, 4 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Haines Backdoor · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Haines Backdoor · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Haines Backdoor on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Haines Backdoor, each day
Day	Score for intermediates	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	37, fair	5 ft7 smushy	244kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots	25°C
Mon 19Oct	24, poor	5 ft9 scrumbling	289kJ	wind from the south-west, 12 knots	23°C
Tue 20Oct	0, too big	8 ft8 smushy	787kJ	wind from the south-west, 7 knots	21°C
Wed 21Oct	53, good	4 ft8 smushy	174kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots	24°C
Thu 22Oct	10, poor	5 ft10 smushy	431kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 6 knots	23°C
Fri 23Oct	17, poor	6 ft8 ssoft	363kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 10 knots	22°C
Sat 24Oct	22, poor	5 ft8 scrumbling	300kJ	wind from the north-east, 12 knots	24°C
Sun 25Oct	46, fair	3 ft8 smushy	129kJ	wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots	26°C
Mon 26Oct	20, poor	3 ft6 smushy	61kJ	wind from the south-west, 14 knots	23°C
Tue 27Oct	36, fair	4 ft6 smushy	100kJ	wind from the south-west, 12 knots	20°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 MGH, changing at ATL and JNB, then 45 min by road. About 31h 15 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Surf Haines Backdoor
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Haines Backdoor
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 6 kn (10 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Haines Backdoor
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 6 ft at 8 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to MGH, changing at ATL and JNB, then 45 min by road. About 31h 15 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,050–£2,105 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 MGH, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and JNB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£800–£1,665
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£50–£85
Food	7 days eating out	£115–£210
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£50–£80
Total		£1,050–£2,105

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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