Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 1 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 4 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 4 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 10s period, S swell with 2,356 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 2 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 8s 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 (Sep 02) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.3m and 14s. 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 Friday (Sep 04) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 03) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Wed 2nd Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 4th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for North Beach over the next couple of weeks.
Right now, the surf is a bit messy. We’ve got a weak 3ft swell coming from the east with a short period, and a 12 mph south crosswind is making things choppy. The combined wave energy is only 317, so there’s not much punch. It’s not looking good for a paddle, more like a kiters’ zone given the cross-chop.
Wednesday afternoon sees a slight improvement with a 3ft swell from the SSW, but the period is a long 16 seconds. That longer period will clean things up, but the 6 mph crosswind and low energy (465) mean it's still only marginal. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no wetsuit drama.
Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are poor. Thursday has a 6ft NE swell but 16 mph crosswinds ruin it. Friday morning offers a bit of hope with 8ft from the S and a clean cross-offshore wind (19 mph), but the swell period is a short 7 seconds, so the waves will be weak and choppy. Wave energy is moderate at 725.
The weekend of the 5th and 6th is mostly a write-off. Saturday sees a 8ft SSE swell with onshore winds, and Sunday is small and choppy.
Now, the standout period starts to build on Monday the 7th with a 6ft south swell that has a very long 18-second period. That's a proper groundswell. The combined energy is 2237, which is strong. The issue is the strong cross-onshore wind (22 mph) making it lumpy. This is a spot for experts only, and even then, it won’t be clean.
The real gem looks to be Tuesday the 15th. We get a 6ft south swell with a 17-second period and light winds. The wave energy hits 2049, nice and strong. The wind is a light cross-on, but with that long period, it’s going to be clean and powerful. This is the best bet of the whole outlook – a real quality window for intermediate to expert surfers.
Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th bring solid 8ft to 8ft ENE swells with crosswinds. The period is short (8 seconds), so while the size is there, the shape will be crumbly. Wave energy remains strong (1363 to 1742), but it’s only marginal for surfing.
Overall, the second week is where the real hope lies. The first week is mostly a battle with wind and chop. Keep your eyes on the 15th for the cleanest, most powerful ride.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 24mm), heaviest during Fri morning. Warm (max 33°C on Thu morning, min 17°C on Fri afternoon). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, strong winds from the SSW by Thu night). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 21°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ESE on Sat morning, strong winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | ||||||||||||||
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) | E 8 | E 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | S 7 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | S 22 | S 18 | S 16 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 165 | 137 | 337 | 416 | 475 | 471 | 315 | 570 | 2356 | 1461 | 883 | 537 | 325 | 339 | 160 | 589 | 1952 | 964 | 568 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:14AM1.78m | 6:36PM1.81m | 6:50AM1.63m | 7:14PM1.63m | 7:38AM1.45m | 8:11PM1.44m | 9:12AM1.29m | 10:28PM1.30m | 12:19PM1.33m | 00:53AM1.40m | 1:37PM1.54m | 1:54AM1.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:13AM0.35m | 12:20PM0.36m | 00:47AM0.49m | 12:57PM0.54m | 1:31AM0.65m | 1:46PM0.74m | 2:44AM0.82m | 3:39PM0.92m | 5:32AM0.86m | 6:39PM0.85m | 7:14AM0.69m | 7:49PM0.65m | |||||||
 |  | | |  | |  |  |  |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | |
 | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | 5:39 | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 13 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 33 | 32 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
Feels °C | 25 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 27 | 28 | 17 | 20 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 13 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 16 | ENE 8 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | E 9 | E 9 | S 22 | S 18 | S 16 | S 14 |
| kJ | 165 | 137 | 112 | 416 | 267 | 75 | 315 | 80 | 48 | 1461 | 883 | 537 | 255 | 241 | 160 | 589 | 1952 | 964 | 405 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | E 8 | SSW 14 | — | — | E 10 | NE 8 | E 10 | E 10 | E 8 | E 10 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | S 10 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 38 | 125 | 337 | 69 | 145 | — | — | 70 | 9 | 50 | 66 | 92 | 325 | 114 | 95 | 73 | — | — | — |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 7 | NE 7 | S 5 | NE 7 | — | — | — | S 16 | — | S 17 | S 15 | E 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 10 | SE 7 | — | — | — |
| kJ | 4 | 55 | 16 | 12 | — | — | — | 5 | — | 23 | 110 | 73 | 71 | 146 | 106 | 27 | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | S 4 | — | NE 7 | NE 8 | ENE 8 | SSW 7 | S 7 | S 10 | — | — | — | — | E 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 9 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | — | 9 | — | 91 | 475 | 471 | 261 | 570 | 2356 | — | — | — | — | 339 | 44 | 238 | 285 | 726 | 568 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 154 | 1 | 0 | 219 | 330 | 1424 | 907 | 1241 | 779 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 212 | 695 | 740 | 5 |
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