Richards Bay (Inside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s break down what’s happening at Richards Bay for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a rough start. The first week is mostly blown out – strong winds, choppy cross-onshore slop, and unsurfable conditions. The swell is there, but it’s a total mess. There are a couple of clean windows way down the line, but you’ll need to wait.

Starting right now, Friday the 24th of July, it’s a disaster. A solid 12 ft south swell (10-second period) is pumping a massive 2572 energy into Richards Bay Inside, but a howling 28 mph SSW wind is smashing it cross-onshore. Total washout. Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are still poor – the swell drops, but the wind stays sideways or onshore. The water temp is about average for this time of year. By Monday the 27th of July, the swell is tiny at 2 ft, but it’s clean with a light cross-offshore breeze – just not enough wave to get excited about.

Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th get ugly again – a new SSW groundswell (16-second period) hits on Wednesday with a huge 3042 energy, but it’s accompanied by 19-22 mph cross-onshore winds and rain. The swell is 6 ft, so it’s big, but the wind just ruins it. Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st are similar – big, messy, and cross-onshore. Friday the 31st of July afternoon gets a nod for favourable wind and tide, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, so it’s a no-go.

The first standout is a long way off, on Sunday the 2nd of August. The morning is looking sweet – clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 5 ft swell from the ESE (11-second period). The energy is 793 (moderate), and the conditions are described as “very good.” That’s a solid window for an intermediate surfer, with the swell direction matching the optimum south swell direction reasonably well. Crowds are sometimes an issue, so you might have some company, but it’ll be worth it.

The second standout is Monday the 3rd of August morning. The wind goes glassy – dead calm – with a 5 ft ESE swell (10-second period). That’s a clean, smooth surface, perfect for a longboard or a funboard. The energy is 465 (moderate), and it’s a gentle, playful wave. This is the best of the whole forecast, but it’s a fleeting window.

After that, from Tuesday the 4th through to Saturday the 8th of August, it’s back to poor conditions with cross-onshore winds and lumpy chop, then a long-period south groundswell (up to 17 seconds) pops up on the 6th and 7th, but it’s small at 2 ft and blown out by strong winds. Not worth a paddle.

So, overall, a tough run. The best on offer is definitely the glassy morning of Monday the 3rd of August, with the clean Sunday morning on the 2nd a close second. Everything else is a battle with the wind. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual. Hang in there.

Rusty.

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