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Richards Bay (Inside) Surf Forecast
/ KZN North (23 surf breaks) /
Surf Forecasts:
Richards Bay (Inside) surfForecast / KZN North / South Africa
16 Day Weather and Surf, issued 1 pm Tuesday 12 May 2026 SASTForecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Richards Bay (Inside) surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.
Today's Richards Bay (Inside) sea temperature is
24.1° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)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 Tuesday (May 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 16s period. 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 4.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (May 14) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Monday (May 18) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 12th May) | 4ft (1.2m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Thu 14th May) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Thu 14th May) | 13ft (4.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days.
Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 19°C on Thu morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 25°C on Fri afternoon, min 18°C on Sun morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 12 | Wednesday 13 | Thursday 14 | Friday 15 | Saturday 16 | Sunday 17 | Monday 18 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
S 17 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 5 | S 11 | SSW 6 | |
725 | 331 | 496 | 581 | 5842 | 1497 | 1021 | 546 | 396 | 935 | 1074 | 865 | 891 | 653 | 418 | 225 | 127 | 85 | 93 | 125 | 67 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-off | glassy | on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | on | off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-on | |
High Tide | 1:00AM1.63m | 1:23PM1.55m | 1:43AM1.80m | 2:05PM1.69m | 2:23AM1.93m | 2:44PM1.80m | 3:03AM2.01m | 3:24PM1.88m | 3:43AM2.04m | 4:03PM1.91m | 4:23AM2.00m | 4:44PM1.89m | 5:04AM1.91m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 6:36PM0.49m | 7:17AM0.42m | 7:23PM0.34m | 7:59AM0.26m | 8:05PM0.21m | 8:38AM0.13m | 8:46PM0.10m | 9:16AM0.05m | 9:27PM0.03m | 9:55AM0.01m | 10:08PM0.02m | 10:34AM0.04m | 10:50PM0.08m | 11:15AM0.10m | |||||||
 |  | | |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | | |  |  | |
 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:28 |
 | 5:09 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:08 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | — | 5:07 | — | 5:06 |
— | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | |
Temp °C | 27 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
24 | 21 | 25 | 24 | 20 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 22 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 23 | 26 | 21 | 21 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 17 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 13 | SSW 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 16 | S 15 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | S 11 | E 6 | E 8 |
 kJ | 725 | 331 | 496 | 581 | 5842 | 1497 | 1021 | 546 | 396 | 935 | 1074 | 865 | 891 | 653 | 418 | 225 | 127 | 85 | 62 | 47 | 60 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 12 | S 18 | NE 6 | E 8 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 4 | E 5 | E 5 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 7 | SE 6 | E 6 | SSE 13 | SSE 13 | S 11 |
| kJ | 13 | 162 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 14 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 37 | 34 | 19 | 35 | 18 | 61 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | ENE 6 | E 8 | ENE 6 | — | NE 6 | NE 6 | S 16 | S 16 | — | E 8 | — | — | — | SSW 15 | — | E 7 | SE 6 | SW 13 | S 15 | S 14 |
| kJ | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | — | 2 | 2 | 21 | 121 | — | 6 | — | — | — | 21 | — | 9 | 14 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 6 | — | — | SE 2 | S 15 | — | — | NNE 3 | — | SSW 4 | S 6 | S 6 | — | — | — | ENE 4 | NE 4 | NE 5 | ENE 5 | S 11 | SSW 6 |
| kJ | 12 | — | — | 1 | 3646 | — | — | 1 | — | 15 | 170 | 83 | — | — | — | 28 | 26 | 19 | 93 | 125 | 67 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 156 | 0 | 0 | 513 | 123 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 98 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 156 | 36 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 155 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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