Surf Forecasts:
Richards Bay (Inside) surf forecast from 4 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 4 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 11 Jul, 2AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 17s period, S swell with 2,262 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 4 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 13s period with SSE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Richards Bay (Inside) this week:
The surf forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 04) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.5m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Richards Bay (Inside) in the next 16 days are 2.0m 17s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Jul 11) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Monday (Jul 06) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 4th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 4th Jul) | 8ft (2.5m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sat 11th Jul) | 6.5ft (2.0m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Alright, this is Rusty comin' at you with the outlook for Richards Bay. We're lookin' at a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, so let's get into it.
The first few days are a bit of a write-off, with nothing really worth paddling out for. There's a bit of swell on Saturday the 4th, with a 8ft SSE swell, but the winds are all over the shop. You get a clean window Saturday morning with a cross-off breeze, but it's not enough to make it a standout. We then hit a lull from Sunday the 5th all the way through to Wednesday morning the 8th, where the surf is either poor or just ordinary, so don't bother.
The first real chance comes Thursday the 9th. The morning session is a bit average with a 6ft S swell and cross winds. It's messy. The afternoon holds a bit more size at 7ft from the S, but it's onshore, so not worth getting excited about.
Now, keep an eye on Friday the 10th. That morning is looking prime. We’ve got a clean 5ft S swell with a solid 13-second period, and the cross-off wind from the north is just a whisper. The wind is glassy, so the surface will be smooth and inviting. That's your pick of the first week for sure. The afternoon stays clean with a bigger 5ft swell, but it's a bit onshore.
The weekend of the 11th and 12th is a bit of a gamble. There's some size – 7ft from the S on Saturday morning – but with onshore winds and a chance of thunderstorms, it’s going to be a messy, challenging paddle. Not one for the faint-hearted.
The middle of the second week drops right off. From Sunday the 12th afternoon all the way through to Thursday the 16th, it’s flat to poor. The swell sizes are tiny and the winds are messy. A real dead spell.
Then we get a glimpse of something big on the horizon. The 18th of July (Saturday) is a bombshell for the experienced crew. Saturday morning brings a massive 10ft S swell, but the wind is cross. The real kicker is the swell size – over 8ft, so this is strictly for experts only. Sunday the 19th is even bigger at 13ft from the SSE, but same story – too much juice for this sandbar.
So, overall, there’s only one true standout in this forecast, and that’s Friday the 10th. The morning glass-off on that clean, solid S groundswell will be the best you’ll get. The rest is a waiting game. Stay tuned, things can always change.
- Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 17°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 4 | Sunday 5 | Monday 6 | Tuesday 7 | Wednesday 8 | Thursday 9 | Fri 10 | |||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | NE 6 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 6 | S 8 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 15 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2319 | 1651 | 997 | 753 | 615 | 479 | 254 | 144 | 122 | 80 | 77 | 77 | 72 | 66 | 63 | 246 | 428 | 1440 | 1121 | 736 | 1087 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | on |
High Tide | 6:01AM1.73m | 6:28PM1.73m | 6:35AM1.67m | 7:04PM1.70m | 7:12AM1.59m | 7:46PM1.64m | 7:57AM1.49m | 8:36PM1.57m | 8:55AM1.39m | 9:43PM1.51m | 10:15AM1.31m | 11:09PM1.48m | 11:52AM1.32m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 11:57PM0.33m | 12:12PM0.22m | 00:32AM0.37m | 12:46PM0.27m | 1:11AM0.42m | 1:24PM0.34m | 1:57AM0.49m | 2:09PM0.43m | 2:54AM0.57m | 3:08PM0.52m | 4:09AM0.62m | 4:27PM0.58m | 5:40AM0.61m | 6:00PM0.56m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | | | |
 | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:43 | — |
 | 5:06 | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:08 |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 23 |
Feels °C | 19 | 16 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 19 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 18 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 22 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | ESE 9 | ENE 6 | ESE 10 | E 8 | S 15 | S 13 | S 13 | S 13 | S 15 |
| kJ | 2319 | 1651 | 997 | 753 | 615 | 479 | 254 | 144 | 122 | 80 | 77 | 46 | 32 | 22 | 37 | 33 | 110 | 1440 | 1121 | 736 | 1087 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 12 | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | NE 4 | S 18 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 9 | S 13 | SW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | ESE 10 | ENE 8 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 |
| kJ | 106 | 70 | 74 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 46 | 72 | 36 | 24 | 33 | 31 | 49 | 32 | 18 | 18 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | S 21 | SW 21 | S 19 | SW 10 | S 10 | S 12 | S 11 | S 14 | S 9 | S 17 | ESE 12 | SE 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 12 | SE 15 | SE 13 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 129 | 9 | 17 | 7 | 28 | 48 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 19 | 66 | 63 | 23 | 13 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | ENE 6 | SSW 6 | S 8 | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 40 | 46 | 98 | 98 | 64 | 77 | 65 | 72 | 32 | 246 | 428 | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 116 | 50 | 76 | 76 | 50 | 141 | 36 | 0 | 626 | 1 | 0 | 156 | 0 | 0 | 155 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North 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 Richards Bay (Inside) 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 Richards Bay (Inside) Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Richards Bay (Inside) provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Richards Bay (Inside) can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Richards Bay (Inside) 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 (Richards Bay (Inside)) 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 Richards Bay (Inside) 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.
Nearest