
Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 9s period, E swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 19 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 14s period, S swell with 1,014 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 12s 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 5s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North Beach in the next 16 days are 1.6m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 19) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 6s period and expected on Friday (Jul 17) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 6ft (1.8m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
Alright, let’s talk North Beach. It’s a beach/pier break, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell. The water’s about 72°, right around average for this time of year.
The first real chance to get in the water is this Sunday morning, July 12th. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the south, with a 12-second period, and the wind is glassy – just a light 3 mph breeze from the south. That’s clean, with moderate wave energy (515). The afternoon turns onshore, so get in early.
Monday the 13th is a loss: windy, cross-onshore, short-period junk. Tuesday’s a bit bigger but still messy. Wednesday morning is glassy again, but the swell is cross-onshore and the energy is still moderate (586). Not worth a special trip.
Thursday the 16th morning is the first real standout. The wind goes glassy, with a 5ft swell from the east at 10 seconds, and moderate energy (403). It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and fun. The afternoon gets chopped up.
Then we hit a dry spell. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th morning are clean but small and windy. Saturday afternoon on the 18th, however, the wind drops to glassy, and we get a 5ft south-southeast swell at 11 seconds – energy is moderate (614). That’s a decent session.
Sunday the 19th brings a big spike in energy (1238) with a 5ft south swell at 14 seconds, but the wind is howling cross-onshore at 15-18 mph. It’s a mess. Monday the 20th has a 7ft swell from the east-northeast, but again, cross-onshore wind. Too big for beginners and poor quality.
The rest of the week is a mix of small, clean but weak swells, or strong winds. The best of the far-out stuff looks like Friday the 24th morning, with a 6ft east-northeast swell at 7 seconds – short period, but the wind is light offshore from the southwest, making it clean. That’s a solid option for the experienced crew.
Beyond that, the 26th and 27th have small, clean windows but nothing to shout about.
Overall, the standout is this Sunday morning, the 12th, if you can get it, and then Thursday the 16th morning. The long-range stuff on the 24th is promising, but it’s a long way out. The gaps between the good sessions are a few days at a time, so don’t expect a run of perfection.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Thu morning, fresh winds from the SSW by Fri night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 15 | S 12 | SSE 11 | S 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
480 | 389 | 123 | 210 | 285 | 181 | 378 | 553 | 516 | 563 | 563 | 500 | 379 | 379 | 377 | 277 | 192 | 284 | 604 | 436 | 919 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross |
High Tide | 2:23PM1.66m | 2:41AM1.77m | 3:15PM1.80m | 3:30AM1.86m | 4:01PM1.92m | 4:14AM1.92m | 4:43PM1.98m | 4:55AM1.93m | 5:23PM2.00m | 5:34AM1.89m | 6:01PM1.96m | 6:11AM1.82m | 6:38PM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:08AM0.46m | 8:29PM0.48m | 8:59AM0.33m | 9:22PM0.37m | 9:45AM0.22m | 10:08PM0.29m | 10:27AM0.16m | 10:51PM0.26m | 11:06AM0.15m | 11:31PM0.27m | 11:44AM0.18m | 00:10AM0.32m | 12:21PM0.26m | 00:48AM0.41m | |||||||
6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | 6:48 | — | — | |
— | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — | |
mm | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 18 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 15 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | S 12 | ESE 6 | ESE 7 | E 7 | E 7 | ESE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 6 | S 12 | SSE 11 | S 14 |
480 | 389 | 71 | 210 | 285 | 181 | 378 | 553 | 516 | 563 | 563 | 500 | 379 | 379 | 377 | 277 | 192 | 75 | 604 | 436 | 919 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | E 5 | S 8 | S 11 | S 11 | SE 9 | E 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 |
21 | 25 | 78 | 157 | 119 | 110 | 184 | 31 | 17 | 16 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 17 | 28 | 153 | 111 | 111 | 85 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 13 | S 11 | S 14 | S 14 | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | SW 14 | S 19 | SSW 9 | SSW 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 8 | SSW 15 | S 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | — | S 15 | SW 16 |
14 | 3 | 123 | 63 | 33 | 76 | 35 | 29 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 14 | 284 | — | 67 | 10 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 4 | ENE 10 | — | — | — | — | SW 3 | — | ENE 3 | — | SSW 5 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | E 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | 22 | 314 | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | 4 | — | 22 | 120 | 153 | — | — | 74 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 155 | 779 | 285 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










