Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 24 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, ENE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 13ft (4.0m), 10s period, ENE swell with 2,741 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 24 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 9s 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 Monday (Aug 24) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 4s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 4s 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 4.0m 10s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Monday (Aug 31) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sun 30th Aug) | 13ft (4.0m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Right, let's take a look at the North Beach forecast. Over the next couple of weeks, we're looking at a bit of a mixed bag, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you're patient. The water's sitting at a lovely 71°, which is about normal for this time of year, so you won't need a thick suit.
The first few days are pretty bleak. Monday and Tuesday of this week (August 24th-25th) are a write-off. We've got a weak, short-period S'ly swell, but the wind is messy – cross-onshore or cross – and it's making a chop of it. The wave energy is moderate at best (301), and the forecasters are calling it poor. Not worth paddling out for.
Things don't really improve as we head into Wednesday the 26th. The swell bumps up a bit Wednesday afternoon with some S'ly groundswell hitting 5ft, and the wave energy jumps into the strong range (1196), but we're still stuck with that cross-shore wind, so the surface is gonna be a bit lumpy. It's marginal at best.
Thursday the 27th through to the end of the month is a full-on drama. A NE wind kicks in and it just gets worse. The swell gets bigger – up to 13ft by Sunday the 30th – and the wave energy goes through the roof (up to 4576), but with a strong, lumpy cross-onshore gale, this beach is going to be a total mess. This is kite-surfing territory, not for a paddle surfer.
We get a little glimmer on Monday the 31st. The wind goes light and onshore in the morning, but it's small (6ft) and still messy. The afternoon is actually interesting – an 12ft SSW swell rolls in, and while the wind is just a light cross-shore, the models are saying the swell is just too big for North Beach. It'll be a washing machine.
Into September, we get a couple of small windows, but our true standout falls on the 4th of September. That Friday afternoon, a 4ft SSW groundswell (period 13 seconds) lines up with some light offshore wind from the WSW. The wave energy is solid (1034) and it's clean. This is your best bet for a clean, shapey wave, but it's one for the experienced crew as the conditions are graded for them. The next morning (September 5th) still has some clean energy with a 6ft S'ly swell, but that wind is already starting to howl from the SSW again, so it'll be short-lived.
To wrap up, for the first week and change, it's mostly tough out there. Your best window is that Friday afternoon, September 4th, at North Beach for a clean, lined-up wave. After that, it gets big and messy again.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu morning. Warm (max 24°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Thu morning, near gales from the NE by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | |||||||||||||||
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 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 268 | 169 | 103 | 337 | 300 | 463 | 395 | 1183 | 2157 | 943 | 506 | 526 | 657 | 1051 | 688 | 878 | 1587 | 1302 | 1467 | 2741 | 1064 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:22PM1.50m | 2:28AM1.55m | 2:50PM1.67m | 2:57AM1.68m | 3:17PM1.82m | 3:25AM1.80m | 3:43PM1.94m | 3:52AM1.89m | 4:09PM2.04m | 4:18AM1.95m | 4:36PM2.08m | 4:45AM1.97m | 5:04PM2.09m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:07AM0.70m | 8:27PM0.69m | 8:37AM0.55m | 8:57PM0.54m | 9:04AM0.41m | 9:24PM0.40m | 9:31AM0.28m | 9:51PM0.30m | 9:57AM0.19m | 10:18PM0.22m | 10:23AM0.13m | 10:45PM0.19m | 10:51AM0.12m | 11:13PM0.20m | |||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 19 | 24 | 26 | 22 |
Feels °C | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 19 | 21 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 10 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 12 | S 12 | SSE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 |
| kJ | 268 | 169 | 103 | 337 | 300 | 463 | 395 | 1183 | 2157 | 943 | 506 | 526 | 297 | 233 | 184 | 134 | 155 | 72 | 43 | 1810 | 1064 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 17 | SSE 8 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | SSW 14 | E 9 | E 12 | S 18 | S 9 | — | — | S 16 | SSE 15 | SSE 15 | — | — | — | SSE 11 | S 4 |
| kJ | 6 | 6 | 99 | 54 | 158 | 13 | 82 | 6 | 11 | 152 | 94 | — | — | 20 | 73 | 123 | — | — | — | 25 | 9 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSE 12 | ENE 4 | ENE 4 | SSE 9 | ENE 5 | SSE 6 | SE 13 | — | — | S 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 11 |
| kJ | 27 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 45 | 3 | 4 | 7 | — | — | 202 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 13 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | — | — | SSW 4 | SSE 4 | — | — | ESE 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SW 5 |
| kJ | — | 4 | 14 | — | — | 12 | 3 | — | — | 127 | 345 | 526 | 657 | 1051 | 688 | 878 | 1587 | 1302 | 1467 | 2741 | 31 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 856 | 856 | 510 | 555 | 701 | 353 | 555 | 701 | 410 | 238 | 238 | 1 |
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.
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