Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 10s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, SSW swell with 2,738 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 16s period with SSW 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 (Aug 20) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 1.1m and 7s. 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 3.5m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Thu 20th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, my fellow wave hunters, Rusty here with the long-range outlook. We’re looking at the next 16 days, and I’ll be honest, it’s a grim picture for the most part. The wind and swell are just not playing ball.
Let’s break it down. Right from the start, we’re in a dry spell. From Thursday the 20th all the way through to the end of August, the surf is pretty much flat and messy. The swell is small, rarely reaching 3 feet, and the wind is all over the place—cross and cross-on from the south and northeast, putting a nasty chop on everything. The combined energy is low, often around 300, so there’s just no push. This quiet patch stretches for days, with only a few moments of clean wind from a strong southwest blow, but the swell is too tiny to form anything rideable.
The first week of September doesn’t look much better. The wind stays mostly cross-on from the northeast, and the waves are still small and bumpy. The water temp is about 70°, which is normal for this time of year.
Now, for the one and only standout in the whole 16-day window. Mark your calendars for Thursday, the 3rd of September. The afternoon sees a real spike in swell, with waves hitting 8 feet, coming from the south with a very long period of 18 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy reading jumps to 3536, showing a ton of power. The wind is forecast to be light onshore from the east-northeast, which could keep it clean. This is a big swell for the experts only—that size and period will be a handful, especially at beach breaks. It could be an epic session for the right spot, but keep in mind, this is a long-range forecast, so it’s a promising look, not a done deal.
Everything else after that is just more of the same—small, choppy, and not worth getting wet for.
So, here’s the bottom line: you’ve got a long, quiet stretch ahead. The only real chance of a decent wave is that Thursday afternoon in early September. For everyone else, it might be time to check the wind forecasts for the kites, because this setup looks more interesting for them than for paddle surfing.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 17°C on Fri morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, near gales from the SSW by Sat afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 15°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | S 13 | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 16 | S 10 | SSW 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | S 17 | S 16 | S 17 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 636 | 440 | 314 | 151 | 67 | 400 | 1565 | 1422 | 463 | 327 | 234 | 136 | 78 | 129 | 259 | 232 | 297 | 539 | 1389 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | on | off | cross | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 8:04PM1.40m | 8:28AM1.22m | 9:28PM1.25m | 12:11PM1.16m | 00:48AM1.27m | 1:47PM1.32m | 1:52AM1.40m | 2:22PM1.50m | 2:28AM1.55m | 2:50PM1.67m | 2:57AM1.68m | 3:17PM1.82m | 3:25AM1.80m | ||||||
Low Tide | 2:29AM0.89m | 2:31PM0.94m | 5:06AM0.97m | 6:20PM1.00m | 7:26AM0.86m | 7:49PM0.85m | 8:07AM0.70m | 8:27PM0.69m | 8:37AM0.55m | 8:57PM0.54m | 9:04AM0.41m | 9:24PM0.40m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | |  | | | |
 | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — |
 | 5:34 | — | 5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 20 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 13 | S 13 | S 11 | S 10 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | S 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | S 11 | S 16 | S 17 |
| kJ | 636 | 440 | 314 | 151 | 66 | 77 | 15 | 755 | 463 | 327 | 234 | 136 | 78 | 47 | 259 | 232 | 127 | 539 | 1389 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 14 | — | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 15 | ENE 5 | S 16 | S 8 | S 16 | S 17 | S 11 | E 9 |
| kJ | 103 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 67 | — | 12 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 44 | 10 | 129 | 55 | 134 | 297 | 110 | 1 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | — | — | — | E 8 | — | — | — | — | — | SSW 17 | E 9 | SSW 16 | S 9 | E 8 | E 9 | E 9 | E 9 | — |
| kJ | 20 | — | — | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | 6 | 24 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | ENE 3 | ENE 5 | SSW 16 | S 10 | SSW 10 | — | — | NE 3 | ENE 4 | SSW 3 | SSW 6 | — | — | — | — | NE 3 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 4 | 31 | 400 | 1565 | 1422 | — | — | 1 | 11 | 3 | 56 | — | — | — | — | 3 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 862 | 684 | 244 | 54 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Durban/KwaZulu-Natal South Coast | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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