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Dana Bay, 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 Dana Bay is worth the trip.

Mossel Bay, Downtown
Mossel Bay, the nearest town, 9 km away. Photo: Dellex, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Dana Bay

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

The spot faces S (164°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (344°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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, June and July, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Mossel Bay, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car).

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

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Book the trip

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

  1. Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to GRJ, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

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

  2. Getting there. 1 h from the airport to Dana Bay.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in Mossel BayAd

    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 Mossel Bay · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Mossel Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Dana Bay 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 18Oct07 ft9 shollow628kJ15°C
Mon 19Oct225 ft9 shollow399kJ16°C
Tue 20Oct554 ft7 shollow169kJ15°C
Wed 21Oct06 ft9 shollow444kJ22°C
Thu 22Oct06 ft8 shollow431kJ17°C
Fri 23Oct07 ft8 shollow662kJ17°C
Sat 24Oct434 ft8 shollow146kJ18°C
Sun 25Oct272 ft7 shollow43kJ17°C
Mon 26Oct232 ft8 shollow57kJ18°C
Tue 27Oct554 ft5 shollow73kJ18°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 by road. About 30h 30 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Dana Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 7 s, wind 4 kn (7 km/h).

  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 0 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 Dana Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 1 kn (2 km/h).

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

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

The plan picks the best of 6 spots near Mossel Bay each day: Dana Bay, De Bakke, Dias Beach, Ding-Dangs, Inner Pool, Santos Reef.

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

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.