Richards Bay (Inside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's look at the plans for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. Nothing worth getting wet for Sunday through to Thursday. The wind’s all over the shop and the swell’s either tiny or messy. You’d be wasting your time paddling out.

The first real sign of life shows up Friday morning, the 10th of July. That’s where we finally get a decent push of swell – 6ft of SSE groundswell with a lovely 15-second period. The combined energy is a solid 1260, so there’s some proper grunt in the water. What makes this session is the glassy conditions with a light NNW breeze. That is the standout, no question. This is clean, well-ordered surf for an intermediate surfer, but watch for the long period. At 15 seconds, the sets might be a bit straight on the sandbar, so pick your peak and be ready for the lulls. The crowd factor is a possibility here, and water temp is 71°, which is pretty standard for this time of year.

Saturday, the 11th, still has some decent 5ft S swell with a 13-second period and cross-shore NE winds. The energy’s still there at 921, but conditions look a bit less perfect than Friday morning, and the quality drops off through the day as the wind picks up.

Sunday the 12th is a write-off with gusty winds, and Monday the 13th sees a real drop in size and messy conditions. We get a short pulse of windswell in the afternoon but it’s not worth a mention.

Now, Tuesday morning the 14th of July looks interesting for the brave. We’ve got an 8ft S swell, but the period is a short 9 seconds, so it won’t be the cleanest. The combined energy is hefty at 1392, so there’s power, but with light cross-shore winds it might be a bit lumpy. This is expert territory at that size.

Later in the week, Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th offer small, cleaner options, but nothing to get excited about. Swell sizes hover around 3 to 4ft with light winds.

Saturday the 18th of July is another one for the experienced crew only. The swell is a serious 12ft from the S with a 10-second period, packing a whopping energy of 2630. But here’s the catch – the morning has moderate cross-shore winds, and the model says it’s actually too big for this break. That’s a pass for me.

The outlook tails off into the third week with a mix of medium-sized SSW groundswell and onshore winds, giving us choppy, unfriendly conditions. Nothing to plan a trip around.

Rusty.

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