Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, SSW swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 17s period, S swell with 3,104 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period with SSW 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 Sunday (Aug 23) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 2.1m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.2m and 9s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North Beach in the next 16 days are 2.3m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.8m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 2PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright crew, Rusty here. Let's look at the story for North Beach. It's a bit of a waiting game, but there are a couple of sessions that could be worth the effort.
The upcoming week is mostly average for North Beach. The surf is small, and the wind is a constant headache. We're dealing with a lot of cross-onshore breeze, which will chop up the surface. The water temp is about 70°, which is normal for the season, so no worries about a thick wetsuit.
The first real chance for a decent wave is on the morning of Wednesday, August 26th. There's a clean 3ft SSW swell with a very long period of 18 seconds. That's proper groundswell. The combined energy is 563 (moderate), and the wind is light and cross-offshore from the SSW. That's going to give you some clean, glassy lines. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so expect a few locals. The caveat with that 18-second period is it can make a beach break a bit straight, but a clean day with light wind is always a good start.
Later that afternoon, the swell rises to 6ft, but the wind goes onshore from the ESE, so that's a washout.
The next real standout is a long way off, but it's the one to keep an eye on. The morning of Friday, September 4th, is the pick. We're looking at a solid 8ft swell from the ENE, with a combined energy reading of 1781 (strong). The wind is light and cross-offshore from the SW, keeping it clean. That's a serious size, getting into expert-only territory. The forecast says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers," so if you're up for it, this is the best on offer.
The morning of Sunday, September 6th, shows a monster 10ft ENE swell, with combined energy of 2485 (very strong). The wind is clean, but the forecast warns the swell is simply too big for this break. That's a hard pass for safety.
So, the two standouts are the clean, long-period swell on the morning of Wednesday, August 26th, and the bigger, more powerful, clean swell on the morning of Friday, September 4th. The 4th is the one for the experts.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sun morning, min 16°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSW on Sun morning, calm by Tue morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 23°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the E on Wed night, strong winds from the NE by Thu afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1283 | 610 | 371 | 268 | 177 | 103 | 263 | 300 | 469 | 399 | 1543 | 2964 | 1021 | 760 | 455 | 471 | 688 | 939 | 583 | 1039 | 955 |
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-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 1:47PM1.32m | 1:52AM1.40m | 2:22PM1.50m | 2:28AM1.55m | 2:50PM1.67m | 2:57AM1.68m | 3:17PM1.82m | 3:25AM1.80m | 3:43PM1.94m | 3:52AM1.89m | 4:09PM2.04m | 4:18AM1.95m | 4:36PM2.08m | 4:45AM1.97m | |||||||
Low Tide | 7:49PM0.85m | 8:07AM0.70m | 8:27PM0.69m | 8:37AM0.55m | 8:57PM0.54m | 9:04AM0.41m | 9:24PM0.40m | 9:31AM0.28m | 9:51PM0.30m | 9:57AM0.19m | 10:18PM0.22m | 10:23AM0.13m | 10:45PM0.19m | ||||||||
 | |  | | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — |
 | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
Feels °C | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 8 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 |
| kJ | 6 | 610 | 371 | 268 | 177 | 103 | 263 | 300 | 469 | 399 | 1543 | 2964 | 1021 | 760 | 455 | 365 | 292 | 512 | 300 | 184 | 99 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 17 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | SSW 14 | E 8 | SE 12 | S 18 | S 17 | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | S 12 | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 97 | 55 | 158 | 12 | 82 | 6 | 6 | 219 | 204 | 183 | 131 | 127 | 416 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | SSW 16 | SSE 12 | ENE 4 | ENE 5 | SSE 9 | ENE 5 | SSE 8 | SE 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | 27 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 45 | 3 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | — | — | — | NE 3 | NE 4 | — | S 3 | SSW 4 | S 5 | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 1283 | — | — | — | 2 | 11 | — | 3 | 19 | 29 | — | — | 113 | 302 | 397 | 471 | 688 | 939 | 583 | 1039 | 955 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 268 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 695 | 695 | 219 | 334 | 701 | 409 | 423 | 687 | 423 |
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.
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