Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 27 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, NE swell with cross-shore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 29 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, NE swell with 2,080 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 30 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period with NE 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 Sunday (Aug 30) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 2.4m and 9s. Another secondary swell of 0.5m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at North Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 30) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the skinny on the surf for our local stretch. We're looking at a pretty average run for the next couple of weeks, with a lot of onshore slop to work through before we get a chance at anything decent. North Beach is a beach/pier setup, exposed to the swell, and it's fairly consistent, but conditions are the main story here.
The water's sitting at 70°F, which is bang on average for this time of year.
Right now, we're starting with a blank period. The first few days, from Thursday the 27th of August through to the end of the month, are all a write-off. We've got a strong NE wind blowing, creating lumpy, cross-onshore junk. Swell is there, but it's messy and not worth paddling out for. The combined energy is moderate, around 1347, but it's just not clean.
There's a bit of a reprieve on Sunday the 30th with a cleaner cross-off wind, but the swell is small and the overall surf quality is still described as poor. The same goes for Monday and Tuesday, with a mix of moderate cross-onshore and clean cross-off winds, but the wave heights are down around 3ft to 4ft, and combined energy drops to 206 on Tuesday morning, which is pretty weak.
We then hit a three-day gap in any real recommendations from Wednesday the 2nd of September, where the conditions are marginal at best. The wind is light and cross-shore, but the swell is small and weak.
Now, the first real glimmer of hope hits on Thursday the 3rd of September in the morning. The wind is glassy, from the SE at just 3 mph, and the combined energy is moderate at 668. You'll find 6ft of swell from the ENE with a period of 9 seconds. This is the first day where it's worth a look. The glassy conditions will make for clean, fun waves, but it's not a huge standout.
The real standout, and I mean the one to circle, is Friday the 4th of September. We've got a big S swell rolling in, 18ft in the morning and 20ft in the afternoon, with a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy is massive, 8593 in the morning and 10890 in the afternoon. The wind is cross-off and clean. But here's the thing: the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. This is an expert-only affair. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It's a massive, powerful groundswell, and at a beach break, it'll be a washing machine. This is the best swell of the forecast, but it's not for everyone.
The wave energy stays strong through the weekend, with 10ft to 13ft swells, but it's still too big for this break. The wind stays clean, so the conditions are good, but the size is a serious caveat.
After that, we're back to smaller, less interesting surf from Monday the 7th of September onwards, with cross-onshore winds and weak energy. The best of the rest is a small window on Thursday the 11th of September afternoon with a light S wind and 5ft swell, but it's marginal.
So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The best bet is the glassy morning of Thursday the 3rd of September for a clean, small wave. The real standout is the colossal swell on Friday the 4th of September, but it's for experts only and will be too big for the break. The second week is a bit of a dud, with small, weak swell and onshore winds.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Sat afternoon, min 16°C on Thu night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 22°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Sun night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SSW on Sun morning, calm by Sun night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | S 13 | S 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1036 | 769 | 649 | 372 | 740 | 593 | 593 | 1169 | 1611 | 487 | 383 | 246 | 246 | 273 | 241 | 152 | 207 | 352 | 169 | 192 | 185 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross |
High Tide | 3:43PM1.94m | 3:52AM1.89m | 4:09PM2.04m | 4:18AM1.95m | 4:36PM2.08m | 4:45AM1.97m | 5:04PM2.09m | 5:13AM1.95m | 5:32PM2.04m | 5:42AM1.88m | 6:03PM1.95m | 6:14AM1.78m | 6:36PM1.81m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:31AM0.28m | 9:51PM0.30m | 9:57AM0.19m | 10:18PM0.22m | 10:23AM0.13m | 10:45PM0.19m | 10:51AM0.12m | 11:13PM0.20m | 11:19AM0.15m | 11:42PM0.26m | 11:48AM0.23m | 00:13AM0.35m | 12:20PM0.36m | 00:47AM0.49m | |||||||
6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
— | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 24 |
Feels °C | 15 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 12 | S 12 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 10 | SSE 7 | E 9 | S 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
1036 | 769 | 649 | 371 | 292 | 184 | 256 | 187 | 897 | 487 | 383 | 246 | 246 | 273 | 200 | 152 | 9 | 225 | 169 | 192 | 185 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | S 17 | — | S 16 | SSE 16 | S 15 | — | — | S 12 | SSE 11 | SSE 11 | S 6 | S 6 | SSE 11 | E 9 | SSE 6 | SSE 9 | S 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
219 | 278 | — | 46 | 86 | 161 | — | — | 71 | 41 | 24 | 81 | 30 | 11 | 241 | 42 | 8 | 10 | 34 | 99 | 172 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SSE 13 | SSE 14 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | — | SE 10 | S 10 | SW 11 | S 15 | S 11 | SE 8 | S 6 |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 | 18 | 27 | 12 | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | NE 9 | SSW 6 | S 6 | — | ESE 6 | S 5 | — | NE 4 | ENE 6 | NE 7 | S 8 | S 5 | — |
92 | 279 | 333 | 372 | 740 | 593 | 593 | 1169 | 1611 | 131 | 109 | — | 34 | 90 | — | 10 | 207 | 352 | 18 | 32 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 695 | 714 | 353 | 404 | 476 | 353 | 433 | 510 | 111 | 209 | 405 | 0 | 5 | 330 | 0 | 334 | 334 | 0 | 153 | 1 | 2 |
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.











