Ifafa Pipes, South Africa
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Scottburgh, 17 km away, is the nearest town we list.
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About Ifafa Pipes
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces E (110°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (290°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 80). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Scottburgh, 17 km away, is the nearest town we list. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
Water about 22°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.
Book the trip
From Chicago: about 31 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
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 returnAdGetting there. 2 h 05 from the airport to Ifafa Pipes.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Scottburgh, 17 km away, is the nearest town we list.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Ifafa Pipes · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Ifafa Pipes · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Ifafa Pipes on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 19Oct | 23, poor | 4 ft9 ssoft | 199kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 0, too big | 8 ft8 smushy | 648kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 44, fair | 3 ft8 smushy | 134kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 26, poor | 4 ft10 ssoft | 206kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 20, poor | 5 ft9 ssoft | 414kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 21°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 19, poor | 4 ft8 smushy | 162kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 32, poor | 5 ft6 smushy | 133kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 20, too small | 2 ft5 smushy | 26kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 9 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 11, too small | 2 ft10 smushy | 39kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Wed 28Oct | 0, poor | – | – | – | – |
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 today, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Fly ORD to DUR, changing at IST, then 2h 05 by road. About 31h 30 door to door
- Tue 20 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 0 of 80.
- Wed 21 OctSurf Ifafa Pipes
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 6 kn (12 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctSurf Ifafa Pipes
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 10 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
- Fri 23 OctSurf Ifafa Pipes
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 5 ft at 9 s, wind 8 kn (15 km/h).
- Sat 24 OctRest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 30 of 80.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Fly ORD to DUR, changing at IST, then 2h 05 by road. About 31h 30 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.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, 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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