Beach

both

Level 4/10

Herolds Bay

George, South Africa

🌀Strong rips🪨Rocks

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Herolds Bay is a small resort cove tucked between George and Mossel Bay, where peaky sand-and-rock banks throw up hollow, punchy lefts and rights when an easterly swell lines up with a light morning berg wind. The setting is classic Garden Route: a 1935 tidal pool, ancient rock formations framing the beach, and a village that stays sleepy outside holiday season. It rarely gets crowded, but respect the water here, as the rips on both sides of the cove are genuinely treacherous.

10-Day Forecast

Today7

Good

2.2mSSE@12s

5km/h

2.2m@12s

5km/h

Tue8

Fair

1.4mESE@10s

3km/h

1.4m@10s

3km/h

Wed9

Fair

1.0mESE@9s

3km/h

1.0m@9s

3km/h

Thu10

Poor

1.2mSSW@12s

7km/h

1.2m@12s

7km/h

Fri11

Poor

2.2mSSW@9s

8km/h

2.2m@9s

8km/h

Sat12

Poor

1.8mSSW@10s

13km/h

1.8m@10s

13km/h

Sun13

Poor

1.9mSSW@11s

18km/h

1.9m@11s

18km/h

Mon14

Good

1.9mESE@11s

16km/h

1.9m@11s

16km/h

Tue15

Fair

1.0mESE@11s

4km/h

1.0m@11s

4km/h

Wed16

Poor

1.8mSW@12s

11km/h

1.8m@12s

11km/h

5+ days out, less certain

View 2-year historical scores →

Today's Conditions

Find Flights

Best session: MorningAM 6 km/h · PM 4 km/h

Swell

2.2m

SSE(166°)

Score: 19/25

Period

12s

Medium period swell

Score: 25/25

Wind

5km/h

NE(56°)

Score: 23/25

Weather

21°C

0.0mm4%

First light 6:10amSunrise 6:40amSunset 6:16pmLast light 6:46pm

Windswell0.2m@2sSecondary1.4mConfidence

100%

Location & Conditions

Loading map...

Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

Hourly Forecast, Tide & Strike Windows

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3m1.5

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swell

windkm/h

6g13

7g20

5g17

3g16

4g11

1g3

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10g18

3g6

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5g48

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2g26

4g34

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11g36

tidem

6:35am0.4m

1:00pm1.5m

7:02pm0.6m

1:04am1.7m

7:26am0.4m

1:30pm1.9m

7:55pm0.4m

1:45am1.9m

8:01am0.3m

2:08pm2.1m

8:30pm0.3m

2:22am2.0m

8:35am0.2m

2:41pm2.2m

9:05pm0.1m

2:55am2.0m

9:08am0.0m

3:14pm2.2m

9:35pm0.0m

3:32am1.9m

9:37am0.0m

3:47pm2.1m

10:05pm0.1m

4:01am1.9m

10:06am0.0m

4:16pm2.0m

10:30pm0.0m

4:40am1.7m

10:24am0.2m

4:52pm2.1m

5:06am1.9m

10:57am0.5m

5:20pm2.0m

5:37am1.8m

11:26am0.6m

5:45pm1.7m

Night

Tide times today

6:35 am

Low tide - 0.43m

1:00 pm

High tide - 1.52m

7:02 pm

Low tide - 0.58m

Times shown in spot-local time.

Strike Score Breakdown

Good

Components

Swell Direction9/25

Swell Size19/25

Swell Period25/25

Wind23/25

Raw Score76/100

Adjustments

Wind History-4

Adjusted Score72/100

Confidence

Multiplier×1.00

Final Score72

Plan Your Strike

Return flights to GRJ, departing today with a 5-day trip window.

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Location & Conditions

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Swell

Wind

Showing forecast for today

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Spot Details

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Swell Requirements

Optimal direction: SE (135°)
Direction range: 90° - 180°
Size range: 0.9m - 2.4m
Ideal size: 1.9m
Height multiplier: 0.92×
Ideal period: 12s+

Wind Requirements

Optimal direction: NNW (340°)
Offshore range: 315° - 20°

Tide Requirements

Optimal tide: all

Water temp

18°C

Wetsuit

3/2mm fullsuit

Bottom

Mixed

Difficulty

4/10

Crowd level

3/10

Access: Public access, short walk from the village parking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tide is best at Herolds Bay?

Herolds Bay handles all stages of the tide, so time your session around the wind instead. The live chart above shows the next few days.

What wind direction is offshore at Herolds Bay?

Offshore wind at Herolds Bay blows from the NNW (340°). Anything in the 315° to 20° range grooms the faces; outside it, expect chop or bumpy conditions.

What swell size and direction work best at Herolds Bay?

Herolds Bay wants SE swell (90° to 180°) between 0.9m and 2.4m, with a period of 12s or more for quality waves.

When is the best time of year to surf Herolds Bay?

The main season at Herolds Bay is Apr-Sep. Winter is most consistent, June especially, though clean days are not frequent.

How do I get to Herolds Bay?

Fly into GRJ, then allow about 10 minutes by road. Public access, short walk from the village parking.

What kind of wave is Herolds Bay?

Herolds Bay is a beach break, a peak with lefts and rights over a mixed bottom. Difficulty is rated 4/10.

Best Season

Peak: Apr-Sep

Winter is most consistent, June especially, though clean days are not frequent.

Getting There

Airport

GRJ

Drive time

10 min

Data quality

community

🤙 Strike Specialist

The Strike Specialist in South Africa is Llewellyn Whittaker. Get in touch with them for the best chance of scoring the best waves in South Africa — and don't forget to tell 'em Barrel D sent ya. He also offers high-level surf coaching, so you can level up while you strike.

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