Surf Forecasts:
Richards Bay (Inside) surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period, SE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 2 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 12s period, SE swell with 1,952 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 2 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 11s period with SE 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 Sunday (Aug 02) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 11s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 11s. 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 2.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 02) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.6m 7s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 05) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 11s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 2nd Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Richards Bay. Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a rough one for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got plenty of swell, but the wind just won’t play ball for clean conditions. Let’s break it down.
The pattern is dominated by solid, consistent swell from the south through the southeast, but it’s pretty much all coming in with a cross-shore or cross-onshore wind. The water temp here is sitting at a pretty typical 71°F, so nothing unusual for this time of year at Richards Bay (Inside).
We start off on Thursday, 30th July, with some serious energy. The combined swell is pumping, but it’s all cross-shore wind at 25 mph. That’s a tough paddle and messy faces. That trend sticks with us through the first week. Friday, 31st July, has even more energy, but it’s still cross-shore or cross-on, making for lumpy, choppy conditions. The swell is a consistent 10 ft through this period. That’s pushing into expert-only territory and with the wind, it’s a wipeout zone for most.
By Saturday and Sunday, 1st and 2nd August, the swell drops just a touch, around 7 ft to 8 ft, but the wind remains a problem. The energy is still moderate to strong, but it’s all cross-shore chop. Not what you want.
The only real glimmer in this whole window shines through on Thursday, 13th August. We’ve got a morning session with clean, glassy conditions. The wind is just about nothing, a slight air from the NE at 3 mph. The swell drops to a more manageable 4 ft from the south, with a period of 10 seconds. It’ll be clean and rideable, even if it’s not huge. This is the standout of the whole outlook, no question. The rest of that day and the following days slide back into poor surf with onshore or cross winds.
Bottom line: if you’ve got a window, point your truck towards Thursday, 13th August morning. That’s the one to hold out for. Between now and then, it’s a solid week of frustrating conditions with plenty of power but nowhere to go with it. The second week starts to fade in size and quality, so patience is the game here.
Stay sharp.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 15°C on Sat night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the SW on Thu afternoon, moderate winds from the SW by Sat night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 25°C on Tue afternoon, min 15°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
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 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 1221 | 1526 | 1689 | 1701 | 1350 | 1057 | 651 | 783 | 1952 | 1350 | 1326 | 1189 | 637 | 511 | 313 | 242 | 192 | 130 | 119 | 110 | 96 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:36PM1.85m | 4:43AM1.87m | 5:04PM1.90m | 5:11AM1.88m | 5:32PM1.92m | 5:39AM1.86m | 6:01PM1.91m | 6:09AM1.80m | 6:32PM1.85m | 6:41AM1.70m | 7:07PM1.76m | 7:18AM1.57m | 7:49PM1.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:24AM0.12m | 10:38PM0.19m | 10:51AM0.07m | 11:07PM0.17m | 11:18AM0.06m | 11:36PM0.17m | 11:47AM0.08m | 00:07AM0.20m | 12:17PM0.13m | 00:40AM0.27m | 12:50PM0.23m | 1:18AM0.38m | 1:28PM0.35m | 2:04AM0.52m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — |
 | — | 5:19 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:20 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:21 | — | — | 5:22 | — | — | 5:22 | — |
mm | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 18 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 20 |
Feels °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 19 | 19 | 20 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 12 | SSE 11 | SE 11 | SE 11 | SE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 10 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ENE 7 |
| kJ | 63 | 47 | 51 | 524 | 639 | 1057 | 651 | 783 | 1952 | 1350 | 1326 | 1189 | 637 | 511 | 313 | 242 | 192 | 130 | 119 | 110 | 57 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | — | — | — | SSW 17 | SSW 14 | — | SW 14 | — | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | S 16 | S 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | S 12 | S 11 | ESE 10 |
| kJ | 63 | — | — | — | 112 | 325 | — | 54 | — | 13 | 23 | 5 | 17 | 50 | 42 | 35 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 96 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | S 18 | S 13 | SSW 15 | S 10 | S 10 | E 11 | S 11 | S 12 | S 11 | S 17 | S 16 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 30 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 19 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | S 15 | SSW 5 | SW 5 | SW 13 | SW 6 | — | — | — | ENE 3 | NNE 3 | NE 4 | ENE 5 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | WSW 3 |
| kJ | 1221 | 1526 | 1689 | 1701 | 1350 | 118 | 90 | 57 | 42 | 138 | — | — | — | 3 | 4 | 16 | 59 | 58 | 54 | 112 | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 484 | 559 | 155 | 1037 | 1056 | 98 | 282 | 282 | 76 | 123 | 155 | 0 | 36 | 156 | 0 | 156 | 156 | 50 | 156 | 152 | 0 |
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)
Latest Updates
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