Surf Forecasts:
North Beach surf forecast from 13 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 13 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, ESE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 17 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 7ft (2.1m), 10s period, ENE swell with 867 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 13 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period with ESE 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 13) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 11s. 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 2.1m 10s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 17) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Thu 13th Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 7ft (2.1m) 10s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for North Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s talk about North Beach in feet and miles per hour.
The first good window is Thursday morning, August 13th. We’ve got a solid 6ft swell coming from the ESE with an 8-second period. Wave energy is strong at 523. The wind is a light 5 mph cross-off from the SSW, so it’s going to be clean. Water temp is 71°, right on average for this time of year. That Thursday morning is the clear standout for the first week – a real gem.
After that, things go south fast. From Thursday afternoon, the wind swings to the NE and stays cross-on, blowing everything out. Even when there’s size – like Saturday afternoon the 15th with 6ft and a massive energy reading of 1232 – it’s just choppy and messy. That bad stretch runs for days. A few clean mornings pop up, like Wednesday the 19th with a cross-off wind, but the swell is only 4ft with a short 7-second period. Not worth it.
The next real highlight is on the morning of Sunday, August 23rd. The swell jumps to 8ft from the S with a 10-second period, and the energy is a huge 1550. The wind is a fresh 30 mph cross-off from the SSW, so it’s clean. This is for experts only – that’s a lot of water moving around. The afternoon holds similar size at 8ft. This is the second standout, but remember it’s more than a week out, so it’s promising but not locked in.
There’s another gap until Wednesday morning, August 26th. That morning, the swell is a massive 10ft from the ENE, 8-second period, with an energy reading of 2062. Wind is a gentle 15 mph cross-on from the ENE. That’s over 2.5m, so expert territory only. The direction isn’t the ideal SE for North Beach, so it might be a bit bumpy. The next morning on the 27th still has 8ft. If you’re a seasoned charger, the 26th morning has the most power in the whole forecast.
The rest of the last few days are back to choppy, onshore slop.
So for the everyday surfer, Thursday morning, August 13th with 6ft and clean glassy-ish conditions is your best bet. For the big-wave crew, Sunday the 23rd (S swell) and Wednesday the 26th (huge ENE swell) are the ones to circle on the calendar, but they’re for experts only.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 20°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Sun morning). Winds increasing (calm on Mon night, fresh winds from the SSW by Tue night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | ENE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | ENE 8 | E 8 | S 7 | S 7 | S 5 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 400 | 191 | 175 | 277 | 335 | 394 | 432 | 706 | 726 | 688 | 776 | 657 | 746 | 440 | 361 | 240 | 338 | 165 | 128 | 127 | 71 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | on | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | glassy |
High Tide | 4:26PM2.07m | 4:37AM2.00m | 4:59PM2.09m | 5:10AM1.98m | 5:30PM2.06m | 5:41AM1.91m | 6:00PM1.97m | 6:10AM1.80m | 6:29PM1.85m | 6:38AM1.67m | 6:58PM1.71m | 7:05AM1.52m | 7:27PM1.56m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:12AM0.12m | 10:35PM0.18m | 10:45AM0.09m | 11:08PM0.18m | 11:17AM0.12m | 11:39PM0.23m | 11:47AM0.20m | 00:10AM0.33m | 12:15PM0.32m | 00:39AM0.45m | 12:42PM0.46m | 1:08AM0.59m | 1:09PM0.61m | 1:41AM0.74m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |  | |
 | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — |
 | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 |
Temp °C | 17 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
Feels °C | 16 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 18 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 8 | SE 8 | E 9 | E 10 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 400 | 191 | 175 | 277 | 335 | 394 | 432 | 514 | 726 | 688 | 776 | 657 | 520 | 440 | 361 | 240 | 257 | 165 | 90 | 68 | 50 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | E 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | S 14 | S 13 | S 12 | S 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 10 | S 9 | S 17 | S 11 | S 16 | S 15 | SW 14 | SSW 12 |
| kJ | 82 | 107 | 88 | 59 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 15 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 23 | E 10 | S 10 | S 10 | SSW 16 | S 9 | S 15 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | S 12 | S 13 | S 12 | S 10 | S 9 | S 17 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 41 | 73 | 30 | 16 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NNE 4 | NNE 4 | E 10 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | ENE 10 | — | — | — | ENE 8 | SSW 6 | S 7 | S 7 | S 5 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | 13 | 17 | 29 | 706 | 37 | 55 | 79 | 72 | 746 | — | — | — | 338 | 145 | 128 | 127 | 71 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 701 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 285 | 330 | 714 | 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.
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