Richards Bay (Inside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about the surf for the next couple of weeks. Water temp is about 72°, which is normal for this time of year.

First up, there’s a bit of a wait. The first real window is Saturday morning, July 18th. It’s not big, but it’s clean. You’re looking at a 3ft swell from the S with a 11 second period, and a light offshore breeze from the NNE. That’s a proper smooth session at Richards Bay (Inside). The combined energy is moderate (366), and the light wind will keep it glassy. Crowds can show up here sometimes, but on a morning like this, it’s worth the gamble.

Sunday the 19th sees more size, 5ft to 5ft from the SSE, but the wind gets messy. The morning is cross-shore, and by the afternoon it’s onshore. There’s a lot of water moving (energy of 796 and 712), but it’ll be lumpy and hard to enjoy. Not a standout.

The week after is a mixed bag. Monday and Tuesday have some 5ft swell, but the wind is either cross-onshore or howling. The whole week from the 21st to the 24th is mostly poor conditions or strong winds. The 24th morning goes glassy, but the swell is a tiny 3ft with a short period of 6 seconds, so it’s just a knee-high dribbler.

Now, here’s the real deal. The best bet on the whole chart is Saturday morning, July 25th. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the S, with a very long period of 19 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is a solid 1171, and the wind is just a light cross-shore. This is a point-break kind of swell, and Richards Bay is a sandbar, so that long period might make it a bit straight, but the energy and the clean conditions are a standout. The following morning, Sunday the 26th, is also clean with a cross-offshore breeze and a 3ft, 14-second swell, but it’s smaller.

Lookin’ further out, from the 28th into the start of August, the swell is there, but the wind is all over the place. The 28th morning has a 4ft, 19-second S swell with a light cross breeze and a massive energy reading (1499), but the wind is just cross, not perfect. The 30th morning has a clean 6ft from the E, but the period is short (9 seconds), and the wind is a moderate breeze. Nothing really locks in perfectly.

So, the short version: get out there Saturday morning, the 18th, for a clean but small session, and circle Saturday, July 25th. That’s the one with the real grunt and the best chance of something special.

Rusty.

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