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Tidal Pool, South Africa

Stay in Durban: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Durban

All 31 on Durban's map

Watch this spot We email you when Tidal Pool is worth the trip.

Durban - panoramio - ---=XEON=---
Durban, the nearest town, 8 km away. Photo: ---=XEON=---, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Tidal Pool

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

The spot faces SE (126°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (306°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 44). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 3 good days in 7; in October, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Durban, 8 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 8 surf spots.

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

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to King Shaka International Airport (DUR), changing at İstanbul Airport (IST).

    See flights ORD → DUR · Skyscanner from about £800 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h from the airport to Tidal Pool.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in DurbanAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Durban · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Durban · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Tidal Pool on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Tidal Pool 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

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct534 ft8 smushy174kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct234 ft8 smushy202kJ25°C
Tue 20Oct08 ft8 smushy755kJ22°C
Wed 21Oct474 ft8 smushy150kJ27°C
Thu 22Oct384 ft9 smushy192kJ25°C
Fri 23Oct215 ft8 smushy294kJ22°C
Sat 24Oct373 ft9 scrumbling176kJ24°C
Sun 25Oct424 ft8 ssoft175kJ28°C
Mon 26Oct162 ft8 smushy65kJ26°C
Tue 27Oct203 ft8 smushy134kJ22°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

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to DUR, changing at IST, then 1h by road. About 30h 25 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Treasure Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Vetchies Reef

    Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 9 s, wind 10 kn (18 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Battery Beach

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Treasure Beach

    Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 9 s, wind 10 kn (19 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to DUR, changing at IST, then 1h by road. About 30h 25 door to door

The plan picks the best of 25 spots near Durban each day: Ansteys, Ansteys Beach, Battery Beach, Bay of Plenty, Blue Lagoon, Brighton - Bluff, Brighton Reef, Cave Banks, Crossways, Dairy Beach, Garvies, New Pier, North Beach Durban, Oasis, River Mouth, Sharks Alley - Reef, Sharks Alley Sand Bar, Snake park, South Beach, Sunkist, Tekweni Beach, Tidal Pool, Treasure Beach, Vetchies Reef, Wedge.

The trip from Durban, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,160–£2,290 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£800–£1,665
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£50–£85
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£110–£185
Food7 days eating out£115–£210
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£50–£80
Total£1,160–£2,290

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

Places to eat near Durban

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.