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Tidle Pool, South Africa

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

Also within 20 km of Mossel Bay

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

Mossel Bay, Downtown
Mossel Bay, the nearest town, 32 km away. Photo: Dellex, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Tidle Pool

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

The spot faces SE (147°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (327°). It is sheltered 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 600 m out (1 in 60). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 16°C in June, its coldest month (3/2 wetsuit), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mossel Bay. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

Water about 17°C: 3/2 wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 30 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT.

    See flights MDW → GRJ · Skyscanner from about £780 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 20 from the airport to Tidle Pool.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Mossel Bay, 32 km (about 55 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Tidle Pool: plan on the drive each day you surf.

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

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

    See all places to stay in Mossel Bay, 32 km away 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 Mossel Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Mossel Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Tidle Pool on Google Maps · Directions

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct08 ft9 smushy972kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct06 ft9 ssoft538kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct385 ft7 smushy217kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct08 ft9 ssoft835kJ20°C
Thu 22Oct75 ft9 ssoft322kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct08 ft8 ssoft834kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct465 ft8 smushy237kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct263 ft7 smushy59kJ18°C
Mon 26Oct305 ft6 smushy145kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct193 ft5 smushy56kJ18°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 MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 1h 20 by road. About 30h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Tidle Pool

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

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

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

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

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Tidle Pool

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 8 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly MDW to GRJ, changing at ATL and CPT, then 1h 20 by road. About 30h 55 door to door

The trip from Mossel Bay, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,140–£2,240 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 MDW to GRJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£780–£1,615
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£1,140–£2,240

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

Places to eat near Mossel Bay

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

Nearest beds: Mossel Bay, 32 km (about 55 min by car) · 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.