Skeleton Bay, Namibia

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 24 km.

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About Skeleton Bay

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

The spot faces NW (293°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (113°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 36). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 13°C in August, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 18°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. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 24 km. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 14°C: 4/3 wetsuit and boots. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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From Chicago: about 31 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) to WVB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT).
See flights MDW → WVB · Skyscanner from about £710 returnAd
Getting there. 45 min from the airport to Skeleton Bay.
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Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Swakopmund, 31 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: WVB (WVB), 24 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Skeleton Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Skeleton Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Skeleton Bay on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Skeleton Bay 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Skeleton Bay, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	6, poor	5 ft10 scrumbling	551kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 24 knots	13°C
Tue 20Oct	16, poor	5 ft8 ssoft	346kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots	14°C
Wed 21Oct	29, poor	4 ft7 smushy	123kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 14 knots	14°C
Thu 22Oct	30, poor	4 ft5 smushy	89kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots	14°C
Fri 23Oct	30, poor	6 ft6 smushy	211kJ	wind from the north, 5 knots	14°C
Sat 24Oct	24, poor	5 ft7 smushy	210kJ	wind from the north, 3 knots	14°C
Sun 25Oct	0, too big	6 ft7 smushy	367kJ	wind from the north-west, 4 knots	14°C
Mon 26Oct	32, poor	5 ft7 smushy	213kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 3 knots	14°C
Tue 27Oct	20, poor	3 ft6 smushy	61kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots	15°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 Oct
Travel out
Fly MDW to WVB, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 31h 30 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 26 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 34 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Skeleton Bay
Best 11:00 to 14:00 local time: 4 ft at 5 s, wind 13 kn (24 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 32 of 80.
Sat 24 Oct
Surf Skeleton Bay
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 5 ft at 7 s, wind 3 kn (6 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Fly MDW to WVB, changing at ATL and CPT, then 45 min by road. About 31h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £1,005–£2,010 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 WVB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£710–£1,480
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£40–£70
Food	7 days eating out	£155–£290
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£65–£105
Total		£1,005–£2,010

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

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