
Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 9 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, NE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 15ft (4.5m), 12s period, S swell with 5,293 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 10s period with ESE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for North Beach this week:
The surf forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.2m and 14s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North Beach in the next 16 days are 4.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) 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 1.9m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 10) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 4th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 9th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 15ft (4.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here, checkin' in with the local outlook.
Alright, so we've got a bit of a mixed bag on the horizon. The first few days are a bit of a write-off for anything decent, but there's a pulse of serious energy coming through later, though it might be a bit too much of a good thing. The action is all focused on North Beach, a beach/pier setup that's fairly consistent. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild there.
The week starts quiet. Tuesday the 4th is a no-go, with a bumpy, cross-on 5ft swell and a breeze that's just messing it up. Wednesday morning the 5th is the first real glimmer of hope. The swell drops to 3ft from the ESE, but the wind goes glassy, dead calm. That's a major positive for clean, fun waves. It's a small day, but it'll be the best thing on offer for a while.
Then we hit a bit of a dry spell. From Wednesday afternoon through to the end of the first week, the wind is mainly cross or cross-on, and the swell is small and weak. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are pretty much a waste of time.
Saturday the 8th morning sees a new pulse of 4ft swell from the S, with a light onshore breeze. It's a bit of a question mark, but better than the previous days. The surf quality is still marginal.
Sunday the 9th is a write-off with a messy, short-period 6ft swell and a strong cross-on breeze. The afternoon clears up a bit with a cross-off wind, but it's still a junky, short-period affair.
Now, here's where it gets interesting. Starting Monday the 10th, we get a massive ramp-up. The combined wave energy goes from a moderate 620 to a massive 3066 by Monday afternoon, with a 13ft swell from the SSW. The wind is cross-off, keeping it clean, but this is a lot of water. By Tuesday the 11th of August, we're looking at a 16ft monster from the S with a 12-second period, and the energy is a staggering 14,448. The wind is still cross-off, so the face will be clean, but 16ft is only for experts. The periods are long, which is a groundswell, so it'll have more energy and shape, but at a beach break like North Beach, it might be a bit too straight and heavy. It's a serious, serious swell.
This big, clean, cross-off swell holds through Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th, with the swell staying around 15ft to 16ft and the energy climbing to over 18,000. The wind is still favorable, but the size is just immense.
By Friday the 14th, the swell drops to a still-hefty 12ft, but the wind becomes a light cross-shore, which is okay. The energy is still massive at 4,050. A powerful, long-period SSE groundswell that will be for experts only.
The weekend of the 15th and 16th sees the swell drop back into the 7ft to 5ft range, but the wind turns onshore or cross-onshore, making it pretty choppy and messy. The following week looks like more of the same – onshore winds and choppy conditions.
So, the standout here is hands down Wednesday morning, August 5th. That 3ft ESE swell with glassy conditions will be the closest thing to perfection we'll see in the near term. For the brave, the big swell window from Monday the 10th through Thursday the 13th is a monster, but it's only for the seasoned crew on big-wave gear. The setup at North Beach during that massive swell is going to be more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle crew. It's a long run of big, clean waves, but it's just too much for paddle surfing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 17°C on Fri morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 6 | S 7 | S 9 | S 11 | ENE 10 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
532 | 490 | 455 | 192 | 197 | 184 | 148 | 120 | 121 | 111 | 83 | 83 | 284 | 268 | 220 | 318 | 323 | 357 | 343 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:42AM1.71m | 7:10PM1.78m | 7:20AM1.60m | 7:53PM1.66m | 8:10AM1.47m | 8:52PM1.51m | 9:31AM1.34m | 10:33PM1.41m | 11:49AM1.33m | 00:34AM1.45m | 1:29PM1.48m | 1:51AM1.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:44AM0.43m | 12:50PM0.37m | 1:21AM0.53m | 1:29PM0.50m | 2:09AM0.65m | 2:21PM0.65m | 3:21AM0.77m | 3:49PM0.80m | 5:21AM0.80m | 6:06PM0.81m | 7:07AM0.68m | 7:39PM0.67m | |||||||
— | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | |
5:23 | — | 5:23 | — | — | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 26 | 29 | 20 |
Feels °C | 21 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 15 | 23 | 27 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 9 | S 9 | S 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | SSW 15 | ENE 9 |
532 | 490 | 455 | 192 | 197 | 184 | 148 | 120 | 121 | 111 | 83 | 83 | 138 | 268 | 220 | 318 | 257 | 21 | 343 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | S 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | E 10 | E 10 | S 9 | S 8 | S 8 | — |
21 | 17 | 15 | 30 | 25 | 18 | 47 | 29 | 23 | 24 | 73 | 34 | 29 | 89 | 92 | 57 | 22 | 12 | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 11 | S 12 | E 11 | SW 11 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | ENE 6 | SSW 6 | S 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | — | — |
8 | 2 | 3 | 83 | 5 | 5 | 23 | 61 | 100 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 171 | 60 | 98 | 40 | 18 | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 5 | — | NE 6 | — | — | S 4 | — | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | S 7 | — | NE 3 | NE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | SSW 6 |
— | — | 11 | 63 | — | 32 | — | — | 16 | — | 19 | 74 | 284 | — | 12 | 171 | 323 | 357 | 254 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 432 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 155 | 5 | 740 | 1 | 14 | 2611 | 1424 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the North Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for North Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at North Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our North Beach 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 (North Beach) 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 North Beach 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.
Are you planning a holiday in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near North Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, consider staying in Durban which is 6 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Glenwood which is 6 km (4 miles) away, Kwamashu, Umhlanga and Mount Edgecombe.











