Surf Forecasts:
Richards Bay (Inside) surf forecast from 16 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 19 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 14s period, SSE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 20 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 12s period, SSE swell with 893 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.3m), 10s period with ESE 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 Thursday (Jul 16) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.3m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 9s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Richards Bay (Inside) in the next 16 days are 1.7m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Jul 20) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 21) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.3m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Sun 19th Jul) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Mon 20th Jul) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Fri afternoon, min 16°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 31°C on Wed morning, min 17°C on Sun night). Mainly fresh winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Thu 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | Wednesday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 348 | 240 | 205 | 205 | 154 | 160 | 125 | 295 | 778 | 799 | 734 | 893 | 785 | 584 | 520 | 455 | 268 | 209 | 181 | 123 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:20PM1.98m | 5:31AM1.89m | 5:59PM1.95m | 6:08AM1.81m | 6:36PM1.87m | 6:43AM1.71m | 7:13PM1.75m | 7:19AM1.58m | 7:51PM1.61m | 7:58AM1.43m | 8:33PM1.46m | 8:47AM1.29m | 9:32PM1.32m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:26PM0.13m | 11:40AM0.02m | 00:04AM0.19m | 12:16PM0.10m | 00:42AM0.29m | 12:52PM0.21m | 1:20AM0.41m | 1:29PM0.35m | 2:00AM0.54m | 2:09PM0.51m | 2:47AM0.66m | 2:59PM0.66m | 3:58AM0.76m | |||||||
 |  | | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — |
 | 5:12 | — | — | 5:12 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:13 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:14 | — | — | 5:15 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 21 | 31 | 27 | 21 |
Feels °C | 21 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 27 | 20 | 20 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | S 12 | SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | SE 12 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SE 12 |
| kJ | 348 | 240 | 205 | 205 | 154 | 160 | 125 | 295 | 778 | 799 | 734 | 893 | 785 | 584 | 520 | 455 | 268 | 83 | 71 | 108 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 5 | S 8 | S 7 | SSW 9 | S 14 | S 11 | S 10 | E 9 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 10 | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 16 | SE 12 | S 14 | S 8 |
| kJ | 4 | 65 | 14 | 26 | 100 | 160 | 98 | 87 | 88 | 98 | 67 | 45 | 29 | 324 | 76 | 47 | 134 | 164 | 181 | 41 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 9 | SSW 15 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | NE 4 | S 15 | S 14 | NE 6 | S 12 | S 11 | NE 6 | SW 12 | SSW 15 | E 9 | E 9 | S 16 | SW 11 | S 15 | SE 12 | S 13 |
| kJ | 8 | 22 | 57 | 29 | 2 | 40 | 103 | 1 | 26 | 38 | 1 | 6 | 43 | 15 | 26 | 20 | 30 | 209 | 140 | 123 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | N 2 | ENE 3 | SW 2 | — | NE 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 3 | NE 4 | NE 5 | NE 7 | — | SSE 4 | — |
| kJ | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 17 | 60 | 97 | — | 11 | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 155 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 0 | 391 | 155 | 0 | 50 | 156 | 98 | 0 | 513 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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