
Surf Forecasts:
Amanzimtoti surf forecast from 19 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 13s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 24 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 18s period, SSW swell with 2,317 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 19 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 11s period with S swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Amanzimtoti this week:
The surf forecast for Amanzimtoti over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.4m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 1.0m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Amanzimtoti in the next 16 days are 1.9m 18s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Jul 24) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 7s period and expected on Thursday (Jul 23) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 6ft (1.9m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Amanzimtoti over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for the local stretch. We’ve got a mixed bag of a forecast ahead, so let’s break it down day by day.
It’s looking like a bit of a slow start with only marginal conditions on offer for the first couple of days. Sunday the 19th kicks off with a 5ft SSE swell at 11 seconds, but with a cross-shore wind, it’s nothing to get excited about. The wave energy is moderate (907). Stick to the smaller boards if you’re paddling out.
Monday the 20th sees the swell bump up a touch to 7ft SSE, but the wind swings cross-on, making for a choppy surface. The energy is moderate (1247), but the quality just isn’t there for a proper session.
Tuesday the 21st is our first real glimpse of something better. The morning brings a clean 5ft SE swell with a light cross-offshore breeze. The period is a solid 12 seconds, so there’s some proper groundswell push. The energy is moderate (610), but it’s clean. This is the best we’ve seen so far.
Things go downhill mid-week. Wednesday and Thursday the 22nd and 23rd are messy, with building wind and a short-period, lumpy SSW swell. Thursday is a write-off with 7ft SSW and a 7-second period, blown out by a fresh cross-on breeze. The energy is weak (471). Kite surfers might have a look, but for paddle surfing, it’s a hard pass.
Friday the 24th is a bit of a weird one. The morning has a tiny 4ft S swell, but it’s onshore. The afternoon, however, shows a 3ft SSW swell with a massive 20-second period. That’s a very long-period groundswell, and with only 3ft of height, it’ll be a very slow, fat roller at this beach-and-reef setup. The energy is moderate (1076). It’s intriguing, but not a standout.
Now, the highlight of the forecast. Saturday the 25th is the one to circle. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft SSW swell running at 15 seconds. The energy is strong (1120), and with glassy conditions, it’ll be a treat. This is a long-period groundswell, so it might be a bit too straight for the beach breaks, but the reef here should handle it beautifully. This is the best bet for clean, fun waves for experienced surfers.
After that, we’re into a patchy second week. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th are small and messy with cross-shore winds. The water temperature here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.
Things get a bit more energetic but blowy again. Tuesday the 28th has a 6ft SSW swell, but a fresh cross-on wind kills it. Wednesday the 29th shows a bigger 8ft S swell, but it’s rain and cross-on winds. The swell is over 8ft, so it’s expert territory, but the wind isn’t cooperating.
The final standout is on Friday the 31st. The morning brings a 7ft S swell with a 16-second period and a cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is strong (3298). That’s a serious amount of water moving, and it’s clean. If you’re an expert, this is a massive, powerful groundswell that should offer some wild, long-period runners. The afternoon blows out with a 13ft S swell and strong cross-shore wind, so get it in the morning.
Then, the forecast ends on a high note. Saturday the 1st of August morning is clean, with a 5ft SSW swell at 12 seconds. Energy is moderate (1347) and it’s clean. A solid session for the weekend. And Monday the 3rd of August finishes with a glassy 8ft SSW swell at 17 seconds. That’s a very long period, very strong energy (3422), and glassy conditions. For experienced surfers, that’s a dream run.
Overall, the best on offer is Saturday the 25th for the clean, glassy, long-period groundswell, and Friday the 31st for the big, clean, powerful groundswell for experts. The rest of the period is a tale of waiting for the wind to play nice.
Signing off, Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Wed afternoon, min 17°C on Tue night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NNW on Wed night, fresh winds from the SSW by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 20 | SSW 17 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
511 | 495 | 802 | 864 | 1216 | 976 | 736 | 528 | 478 | 376 | 501 | 368 | 189 | 363 | 404 | 187 | 131 | 731 | 2015 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross | off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | on | off |
High Tide | 6:45AM1.54m | 7:16PM1.62m | 7:21AM1.42m | 7:54PM1.49m | 8:00AM1.29m | 8:37PM1.35m | 8:50AM1.16m | 9:36PM1.23m | 10:15AM1.07m | 11:15PM1.16m | 12:21PM1.07m | 00:56AM1.19m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:45AM0.29m | 12:52PM0.20m | 1:23AM0.40m | 1:28PM0.33m | 2:04AM0.51m | 2:07PM0.47m | 2:52AM0.62m | 2:57PM0.61m | 4:04AM0.70m | 4:19PM0.71m | 5:55AM0.71m | 6:18PM0.72m | |||||||
— | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | |
5:15 | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:15 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:16 | — | — | 5:17 | — | — | 5:17 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
Feels °C | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 12 | S 7 | S 11 | SSW 17 |
511 | 495 | 802 | 864 | 1216 | 976 | 736 | 528 | 478 | 376 | 501 | 368 | 183 | 71 | 34 | 111 | 131 | 287 | 2015 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSE 14 | S 11 | S 10 | E 10 | S 9 | SSW 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 20 | SE 11 |
121 | 318 | 286 | 164 | 49 | 42 | 71 | 82 | 237 | 353 | 314 | 236 | 167 | 108 | 101 | 77 | 69 | 731 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | NE 4 | E 9 | NE 5 | E 9 | — | SSW 13 | — | SSW 13 | ENE 7 | SE 11 | SE 11 | ENE 9 |
229 | 94 | 98 | 69 | 31 | 51 | 63 | 5 | 15 | 39 | 6 | — | 189 | — | 98 | 30 | 76 | 58 | 28 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 7 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | S 8 | — | — | — |
— | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 13 | 4 | 79 | 47 | 114 | 275 | 363 | 404 | 187 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 19 | 25 | 0 | 20 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 182 | 405 | 0 | 26 | 182 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Amanzimtoti Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Amanzimtoti provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Amanzimtoti can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Amanzimtoti surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Amanzimtoti) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Amanzimtoti may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Amanzimtoti is 9 km (6 miles) from Umlazi. If you plan a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, look for hotels and other accommodation in Umlazi. Umlazi has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










