Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 25 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 28 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, NE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 26 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 17s period, S swell with 2,748 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 25 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period with S 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 25) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 17s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North Beach in the next 16 days are 2.2m 17s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Tue 25th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 28th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Wed 26th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Let’s break down what North Beach has coming up over the next couple of weeks. There’s a lot of wind and chop to sort through before we find the good stuff.
We start on Tuesday the 25th with a tiny 3ft swell from the SSW, period at 16 seconds. Cross-shore wind at 9 mph, combined swell energy weak at 391. Conditions are poor. Not worth suiting up. Wednesday the 26th is similar – 4ft, still cross-shore, still messy.
Wednesday afternoon gets a little more size at 6ft from the S with an 18-second period, combined energy moderate at 1794. But there’s a light cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. Still marginal.
From Thursday the 27th through the end of August, it’s mostly blown-out. Strong NE winds at 22–28 mph, cross-onshore, lumpy, and messy. Swells reach 7–10ft on the 28th and 29th, but with those winds, it’s a white-capped mess. Combined energy hits strong levels (1211–1275), but it’s not surfable for paddle boards.
Sunday the 30th offers a slight improvement – afternoon has 6ft from the ENE with a 10-second period and a light cross-shore breeze. Combined energy is moderate (659). Marginal, but you might find one.
Now, the real standout is Monday the 31st of August. Morning brings 6ft from the S, short period at 7 seconds, but cross-offshore and clean. By the afternoon, it jumps to a solid 10ft from the S, 9-second period, with a fresh cross-offshore breeze and clean conditions. Combined energy is strong at 1597. The report says it’s too big for the break, but for intermediate to advanced surfers, this is the best session of the window. Clean, powerful, and solid. Experienced crew only at that size.
After that, Tuesday the 1st of September is back to marginal with rain and wind. The rest of the first week into September is mostly cross-onshore, choppy junk.
The second week starts with a massive pulse on Friday the 4th of September – 12ft from the S, 10-second period, combined energy very strong at 3011. Cross-offshore wind, clean. Again, flagged as too big for the break. Saturday the 5th is similar: 12–10ft from the S, clean, but huge. Expert-only territory.
From Sunday the 6th through Wednesday the 9th, it’s back to poor conditions with strong NE winds at 12–22 mph and chop. Swell drops to 3–5ft, but the wind ruins it.
The best session of the whole 16-day run is Monday the 31st of August – afternoon at North Beach with 10ft S swell, clean cross-offshore wind, and strong energy. After that, the 4th and 5th of September are for the big-wave specialists only. For the rest, it’s a waiting game for cleaner days.
Keep your eyes on the wind. This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 20°C on Tue morning, min 17°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SE on Wed night, strong winds from the NE by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Fri night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Sat afternoon, light winds from the W by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | S 7 | S 7 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 337 | 300 | 463 | 1056 | 1974 | 2622 | 1036 | 772 | 501 | 475 | 857 | 659 | 583 | 1134 | 1618 | 739 | 618 | 289 | 199 | 363 | 311 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 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 | 5:04PM2.09m | 5:13AM1.95m | 5:32PM2.04m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 10:51AM0.12m | 11:13PM0.20m | 11:19AM0.15m | 11:42PM0.26m | |||||||
 | |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — |
 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 24 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 22 | 20 |
Feels °C | 17 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 7 |
| kJ | 337 | 300 | 463 | 1056 | 1974 | 2622 | 1036 | 772 | 470 | 306 | 236 | 184 | 247 | 187 | 947 | 739 | 618 | 289 | 199 | 217 | 168 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSE 9 | E 9 | E 13 | SE 12 | — | S 16 | S 16 | S 16 | SSE 16 | S 15 | SW 11 | — | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SE 12 | SE 12 | E 9 |
| kJ | 68 | 158 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 6 | — | 129 | 130 | 46 | 86 | 165 | 19 | — | 71 | 24 | 23 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 136 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 10 | SW 13 | SE 13 | S 10 | S 14 | SSW 11 |
| kJ | 4 | 14 | 7 | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | S 4 | S 4 | — | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | S 6 | S 7 | S 7 |
| kJ | 2 | 23 | 14 | — | — | — | 159 | 545 | 501 | 475 | 857 | 659 | 583 | 1134 | 1618 | — | 41 | 184 | 115 | 363 | 311 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 153 | 154 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 5 | 695 | 695 | 409 | 404 | 510 | 353 | 433 | 555 | 222 | 107 | 405 | 0 | 1 | 139 | 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 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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