
Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 10 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 11s period, S swell with 3,095 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 5 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 10s period with E 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 Wednesday (Aug 05) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 6s. Another secondary swell of 0.8m and 6s is also forecast. 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 3.5m 11s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 06) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Wed 5th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Mon 10th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your board and let’s see what’s happening at North Beach over the next couple of weeks.
It’s a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The water temp is sitting around 71°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there. The first few days are offering surf, but it’s small and messy. Wednesday morning, August 5th, has a 3ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period, and the wind is light and offshore, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak. That afternoon, the wind swings cross-on and the surf gets choppy – not worth paddling out. Thursday and Friday are more of the same: small 2ft to 3ft waves, onshore or cross-shore winds, and very low energy. Saturday, August 8th, sees a bump in swell height to 4ft from the ENE, but the period drops to a short 6 seconds and the wind is a moderate cross-on, making it choppy and poor. The next few days through to Sunday, August 9th, stay small and wind-affected, so keep your expectations low.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Monday morning, August 10th, the ocean wakes up. A powerful 12ft swell from the south rolls in with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is massive. The wind is a strong cross-offshore, leaving the waves clean, but it’s a serious step up – this is expert territory only. The swell is too big for this break, so unless you’re a seasoned charger, sit this one out. The afternoon remains big but gets messy with cross-shore winds.
The real standout is Tuesday morning, August 11th. We’ve got a 8ft swell from the SE with a 9-second period, and the wind is glassy – absolutely calm. That’s a major positive, giving you clean, well-shaped waves. The energy is very strong. This is labeled as excellent for experienced surfers, and it’s the best on offer in the whole forecast. The afternoon drops to 6ft, still decent, but the period shortens to 8 seconds and the wind comes onshore, so the morning window is your go.
After that, the pattern fades. Wednesday, August 12th, through to the end of the forecast on Thursday, August 20th, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. Swells range from 3ft to 7ft, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore, often strong, with short periods and low to moderate energy. The waves will be lumpy and choppy, not worth your time for paddle surfing. If you’re into kite surfing, the strong cross-onshore winds and moderate swell setups might be more interesting, but for a standard surf, it’s a blank run.
So, bottom line: hold out for Tuesday morning, August 11th, at North Beach. That’s your window for clean, powerful surf. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too big for the break.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Wed morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the S on Thu afternoon, calm by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 16mm), heaviest on Mon morning. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Sat night, strong winds from the SSW by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 7 | SSW 13 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 10 | SSW 16 | E 10 | S 10 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SE 9 | SE 8 | S 13 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
197 | 184 | 154 | 120 | 121 | 126 | 102 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 103 | 108 | 123 | 149 | 133 | 2850 | 1412 | 1216 | 937 | 439 | 563 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 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 | 2:27PM1.68m | 2:43AM1.75m | 3:12PM1.86m | 3:25AM1.88m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 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 | 8:10AM0.50m | 8:36PM0.50m | 8:56AM0.33m | 9:21PM0.35m | ||||||||
6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | |
— | 5:24 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:25 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:27 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Temp °C | 21 | 21 | 21 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 17 |
Feels °C | 20 | 19 | 20 | 24 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 14 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 6 | SSE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | ENE 7 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | SE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | S 13 |
197 | 184 | 154 | 120 | 121 | 76 | 36 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 68 | 108 | 123 | 113 | 115 | 83 | 1177 | 1216 | 623 | 439 | 563 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 6 | SSW 12 | SSE 6 | SSW 15 | E 10 | S 5 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | S 16 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | S 11 | SE 8 |
16 | 18 | 35 | 38 | 16 | 85 | 83 | 17 | 49 | 17 | 92 | 68 | 20 | 149 | 133 | 21 | 81 | 210 | 205 | 396 | 222 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | S 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SE 5 | SSW 11 | SE 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | E 10 | SSW 12 | E 9 | E 10 |
5 | 2 | 23 | 61 | 99 | 49 | 102 | 67 | 7 | 25 | 11 | 80 | 36 | 5 | — | — | — | 151 | 147 | 287 | 299 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 6 | — | SW 10 | S 5 | S 7 | — | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | S 10 | S 11 | — | SE 9 | — | — |
— | 31 | — | 24 | 97 | 126 | — | — | — | 24 | 103 | 25 | 39 | 12 | 55 | 2850 | 1412 | — | 937 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 212 | 0 | 154 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 238 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 353 | 779 | 2614 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 896 |
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.











