Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 14 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, SE swell with 3,294 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 9s 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 12s. 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 5s period and expected on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve had a good look at what’s coming up for North Beach. It’s a beach and pier setup, and this September run is a proper mixed bag. We’ve got some serious size coming, but the wind is gonna make you work for it. The water temp is sitting at 69° which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent wetsuit.
Right now, the first few days are pretty tough. Monday the 14th is a write-off – big messy combo of strong cross-onshore wind and lumpy swell. Tuesday morning the 15th looks cleaner with a light cross-off breeze, and there’s some wave energy around (642). Swell is 6 ft out of the east with a 9-second period, but it’s only a small window before the afternoon gets marginal again. Wednesday the 16th is also touch-and-go, then Thursday the 17th is where things start to look up. Thursday morning has clean conditions with light cross-off winds and a 4 ft easterly swell, and the afternoon bumps up to 5 ft with the same clean vibe. Energy is moderate (573 and 709). That’s a solid, fun day for intermediate surfers.
The real standout, though, is Friday the 19th of September. This is the one to circle. We’ve got a 10 ft southeast swell, period at 11 seconds, with a moderate offshore wind from the west. That’s clean, lined-up surf with real power – combined energy is a strong 2112. However, the swell is over 8 ft, so this is strictly for experienced surfers only. The offshore wind is a massive positive, so expect some nice walls if you’ve got the skill. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, so get in early.
After that, the size builds even more but it gets tricky again. Saturday the 20th is cross-onshore and messy, and then Monday the 21st has a big 12 ft swell with clean cross-off wind, but again it’s too big for the break. The following week sees a slow fade. By Wednesday the 23rd, we’re down to 4 ft and a long 13-second period, but the wind is cross-onshore and energy drops (797). The last few days of September and into the 28th and 29th have some bigger swells returning, but the wind stays messy cross-off, and the sizes go back over 10 ft – again, expert-only territory.
Overall, best bet is Thursday 17th for a clean, manageable session, and the absolute standout for the experienced crew is Friday 19th. The second week is less reliable and more for the big-wave hunters. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, because this one could change. Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (near gales from the NE on Mon afternoon, calm by Wed morning). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 136mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 22°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Thu morning). Winds increasing (light winds from the WSW on Thu night, strong winds from the S by Fri afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 644 | 1852 | 2395 | 614 | 619 | 589 | 596 | 458 | 379 | 340 | 530 | 888 | 1927 | 2799 | 2363 | 2014 | 1498 | 1102 | 1064 | 1232 | 861 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | on | cross | cross | cross | off | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:23PM2.00m | 5:34AM1.83m | 5:48PM1.88m | 5:58AM1.71m | 6:12PM1.73m | 6:23AM1.56m | 6:36PM1.57m | 6:49AM1.41m | 7:02PM1.40m | 7:28AM1.25m | 7:47PM1.22m | 12:04PM1.17m | 00:37AM1.21m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:12AM0.20m | 11:32PM0.29m | 11:37AM0.32m | 11:58PM0.41m | 12:00PM0.46m | 00:22AM0.55m | 12:24PM0.62m | 00:49AM0.70m | 12:49PM0.79m | 1:22AM0.86m | 1:24PM0.97m | 3:13AM1.00m | 6:40PM1.03m | ||||||||
 | |  |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  |  |  | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:56 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:52 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — |
 | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:47 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:49 | — | — | 5:50 | — | — | 5:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 5 | — | — | — | 4 | 10 | 4 | 32 | 24 | 24 | 36 | 6 | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Temp °C | 23 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 23 | 23 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 24 | 22 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 15 | 22 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 23 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | SSW 16 | ENE 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 7 | E 10 | S 8 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SE 10 | SE 11 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 12 | E 10 |
| kJ | 166 | 83 | 1562 | 614 | 619 | 589 | 596 | 458 | 379 | 212 | 530 | 196 | 52 | 161 | 2363 | 2014 | 1498 | 1102 | 1064 | 3 | 861 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | S 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | E 10 | S 8 | SSW 15 | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 12 | S 15 | SSW 18 |
| kJ | 41 | 2 | 36 | 28 | 23 | 21 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 340 | 149 | 121 | — | — | 22 | 50 | 43 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 30 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | — | — | — | — | S 16 | S 15 | — | — | SSW 15 | SSW 18 | — | — | — | — | SSW 11 | SW 10 | — | S 16 | SW 15 | S 11 |
| kJ | 24 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 4 | — | — | 21 | 30 | — | — | — | — | 48 | 4 | — | 5 | 8 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | NE 9 | — | — | — | — | S 5 | S 7 | — | — | ESE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | — | — | ENE 9 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | E 10 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 644 | 1852 | 2395 | — | — | — | — | 168 | 222 | — | — | 888 | 1927 | 2799 | — | — | 8 | 269 | 469 | 1232 | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 555 | 484 | 103 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 907 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 154 | 154 | 154 | 1 | 5 | 695 | 423 | 219 | 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)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our North Beach surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
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.
Nearest