Amanzimtoti Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag for Amanzimtoti over the next couple of weeks. The first week is pretty ordinary – a lot of wind and chop to deal with, but there’s one morning that’s going to be an absolute treat. The water is sitting at 73°F which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a little bonus.

The first real chance to get wet comes Monday morning, July 27th. It’s small, only 3ft from the SSW with a nice long 14-second period, giving it some push. The wind is light ESE at 3 mph, so it’s clean. Combined wave energy is weak (314), so it’s not packing much punch, but it’s a fun little session for beginners. The surf is marginal, but it’s worth a look.

The next few days are pretty grim. Monday afternoon and all of Tuesday get hammered by cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. Wednesday and Thursday see a bit more size, with swell around 7ft to 8ft, but the wind is cross-shore or cross-onshore at 12-19 mph, and the period drops to 8-9 seconds. That’s messy, short-period windswell, and the combined energy jumps into moderate territory (1116 on Wednesday morning, 1313 on Thursday morning), but it’s not surfable with that wind. Friday and Saturday are much the same – fresh winds and poor conditions.

Now, Sunday morning, August 2nd – that’s the standout. The swell is 6ft from the ESE with a 9-second period, and the wind is glassy, a light W at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate (596), and the setup is described as “expect very good surf conditions.” For Amanzimtoti (beach and reef), it’s going to be clean and fun. The swell is a bit over 5ft, so it might be a touch much for absolute beginners, but it’s well within range for anyone comfortable on a board. The ESE direction is a solid match for the optimum S swell direction, so it should work well. This is a rare clean window, so don’t miss it.

The rest of the following week is a letdown. Sunday afternoon and Monday get cross-onshore again, and by Tuesday, August 4th, the wind swings NNE at 16 mph, making it cross-offshore and clean, but the swell drops to 4ft and the energy is weak (283). It’s marginal, not a ripper. Wednesday, August 5th, is back to fresh cross-onshore with 4ft from the south, and the energy is moderate (454), but the wind kills it.

A bit of a tease shows up on Thursday, August 6th – morning is clean with NNE cross-offshore at 16 mph, but the swell is tiny at 3ft and energy is weak (171). Not worth paddling out. Then Friday, August 7th, has a 3ft, 16-second groundswell from the SSW, with a light NE breeze – that’s a long-period swell, so it’s better shaped and has more energy (598, moderate), but the wind is cross-shore and it’s just marginal. That long period can make beach breaks tricky, but Amanzimtoti’s reef should handle it okay.

The second week is rough. Saturday, August 8th, and Sunday, August 9th, are all wind and chop, with swell around 7ft on Saturday but period dropping to 7 seconds – that’s short-period junk. Monday, August 10th, has a 5ft, 15-second very long-period swell from the SSW, with moderate energy (1063), but the wind is cross-shore and choppy. Not great.

Then, Tuesday morning, August 11th – that’s another promising window. The swell is 5ft from the SSW, with a 13-second period, and the wind is glassy, a light N at 3 mph. Combined wave energy is moderate (623), and the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” It’s a bit smaller than the August 2nd standout, but with that long period, it’ll have some punch. The SSW direction is a perfect match for the optimum S direction. That’s the second best of the run. Tuesday afternoon, the wind picks up from the ENE, ruining it.

So, the pick of the bunch is Sunday morning, August 2nd – glassy, 6ft, clean lines. Tuesday morning, August 11th, is a close second. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too messy. You’ll have to wait through the first few days, but it’s worth it for that Sunday session.

Rusty.

Read more