
Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 10 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 7 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 18s period, S swell with 4,206 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period with ENE 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 2.0m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s is also forecast. 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 2.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.3m 3s period and expected on Friday (Sep 11) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Thu 10th Sep) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 8ft (2.5m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks look pretty grim for decent waves around here. We've got a long stretch of onshore winds and jumbled-up seas that are going to keep the surf mostly poor. It's one of those stretches where you might be better off cleaning the wax off your board or fixing that ding, because there’s not much to get excited about.
Looking at the whole 16-day window, the one standout is a pulse of long-period south swell that shows up on Monday the 7th. That's the only time we get a real, proper groundswell with some power behind it. The combined energy jumps way up (4286) early that morning, with swell heights around 8ft from the south, riding a 17-second period. That’s the window. However, it’s not perfect. The wind is a cross-onshore from the north-northeast at 9 mph, which will put a bit of texture on it. For North Beach, a south swell is the right direction, but those long-period swells can be a bit tricky at a beach/pier setup. It might be a bit straightened out.
Before that, the weekend is a write-off. Saturday the 5th is small and choppy, and Sunday the 6th is even smaller with rain and onshores. Not worth your time.
After that big pulse on Monday, the onshore winds just hammer us all week. A moderate to fresh breeze out of the northeast is going to keep things lumpy and messy. There are a few options that might be okay, but nothing more than a marginal call. The period drops right off to around 8 seconds, which is just windswell junk.
The following week is more of the same. We see some clean windows with cross-offshore winds on the 11th, 14th, and 17th, but the swell is tiny and weak. There's a pulse of south swell on the 20th (Sunday), with combined energy around 1748, but the wind is blowing hard from the northeast again, so it’s going to be choppy and messy. For a beach break like this, that's more of a kitesurfing day than a surfing one.
So there you have it. If you’re desperate for a wave, your best bet is Monday the 7th, early. It’s going to be the biggest and cleanest we see for a while, but don’t expect perfection. Everything else is a slog. Keep an eye on the forecasts, as these things can change, but as it stands, this is a pretty bleak outlook.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Very mild (max 19°C on Sun night, min 16°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 22°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Tue morning). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the NE on Tue afternoon, calm by Thu night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 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) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 21 | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
749 | 426 | 271 | 194 | 157 | 857 | 4137 | 2109 | 984 | 284 | 404 | 671 | 368 | 785 | 621 | 522 | 679 | 574 | 284 | 275 | 199 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:12AM1.29m | 10:28PM1.30m | 12:19PM1.33m | 00:53AM1.40m | 1:37PM1.54m | 1:54AM1.59m | 2:21PM1.75m | 2:35AM1.76m | 2:57PM1.93m | 3:10AM1.90m | 3:29PM2.05m | 3:42AM1.98m | 4:00PM2.12m | 4:13AM2.02m | |||||||
Low Tide | 3:39PM0.92m | 5:32AM0.86m | 6:39PM0.85m | 7:14AM0.69m | 7:49PM0.65m | 8:04AM0.49m | 8:32PM0.45m | 8:43AM0.32m | 9:07PM0.29m | 9:16AM0.19m | 9:39PM0.19m | 9:48AM0.11m | 10:10PM0.14m | ||||||||
6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | |
— | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 |
Feels °C | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | S 21 | S 17 | S 16 | S 14 | S 12 | SSE 10 | ENE 8 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 9 | E 9 |
749 | 426 | 249 | 194 | 157 | 857 | 4137 | 2109 | 984 | 284 | 147 | 419 | 117 | 90 | 62 | 19 | 573 | 459 | 284 | 275 | 199 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 8 | S 11 | S 13 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 16 | SE 13 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 |
71 | 184 | 271 | 93 | 143 | 356 | 149 | 70 | 48 | 90 | 76 | 161 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 25 | 57 | 34 | 51 | 73 | 36 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 11 | SE 8 | E 9 | — | SE 6 | S 20 | E 10 | — | — | S 16 | SW 17 | SE 14 | S 15 | SE 16 | SSE 14 | SE 15 | SSE 14 | SE 13 |
112 | 104 | 65 | 149 | 69 | 117 | — | 2 | 7 | 31 | — | — | 5 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 54 | 20 | 27 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 65 | 147 | 404 | 671 | 368 | 785 | 621 | 522 | 679 | 574 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 107 | 153 | 476 | 695 | 5 | 423 | 476 | 2 | 238 | 5 | 2 | 238 | 154 | 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.










