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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 19 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
23.6° 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 19) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 11s. 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 0.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (May 26) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Friday (May 22) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 19th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Wed 20th May) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Tue 26th May) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 17s |
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 Tue night. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 18°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 26°C on Fri afternoon, min 19°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tue 19 | Wednesday 20 | Thursday 21 | Friday 22 | Saturday 23 | Sunday 24 | Monday 25 | |||||||||||||||
PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |||||||||||||
SSE 14 | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | E 13 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | S 11 | E 7 | E 7 | SSW 5 | E 10 | E 10 | SSE 11 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | |
81 | 118 | 256 | 188 | 190 | 140 | 117 | 236 | 224 | 89 | 61 | 58 | 73 | 56 | 82 | 81 | 81 | 71 | 86 | 66 | 61 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | |
High Tide | 5:27PM1.82m | 5:46AM1.78m | 6:15PM1.72m | 6:32AM1.62m | 7:09PM1.59m | 7:26AM1.46m | 8:17PM1.47m | 8:38AM1.33m | 9:44PM1.41m | 10:12AM1.27m | 11:14PM1.43m | 11:42AM1.30m | 00:22AM1.50m | 12:46PM1.39m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:34PM0.19m | 11:58AM0.21m | 00:22AM0.35m | 12:46PM0.34m | 1:18AM0.51m | 1:43PM0.47m | 2:30AM0.66m | 2:57PM0.58m | 4:05AM0.72m | 4:26PM0.62m | 5:37AM0.68m | 5:47PM0.59m | 6:42AM0.59m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | |  | |
 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:33 |
 | 5:06 | — | — | 5:06 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:05 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | — | 5:04 | — | 5:02 |
1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Temp °C | 23 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 20 | 22 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
22 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | SSE 12 | ESE 9 | S 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | ESE 12 | ESE 12 | E 11 | NE 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 10 | E 10 | S 4 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | E 8 | E 8 |
 kJ | 69 | 88 | 256 | 106 | 190 | 140 | 102 | 236 | 224 | 89 | 43 | 58 | 73 | 28 | 70 | 68 | 15 | 71 | 86 | 66 | 41 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | SSE 13 | E 8 | SSE 12 | ESE 9 | ESE 8 | ESE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 13 | S 12 | E 7 | S 10 | SSE 10 | ESE 10 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | E 9 | E 8 | E 9 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 |
| kJ | 59 | 118 | 80 | 93 | 108 | 94 | 79 | 43 | 55 | 72 | 48 | 53 | 33 | 33 | 82 | 81 | 40 | 51 | 56 | 61 | 61 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | E 13 | E 13 | SSE 15 | SE 7 | S 20 | S 11 | E 11 | ESE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSE 11 | S 4 | SW 13 | S 6 | SE 13 |
| kJ | 81 | 58 | 14 | 109 | 35 | 86 | 117 | 42 | 12 | 7 | 61 | 58 | 37 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 81 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 25 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 3 | SW 3 | SSW 4 | S 9 | — | — | ENE 3 | NE 4 | NNE 5 | ENE 6 | NE 6 | WSW 4 | SSW 4 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | S 5 | S 5 | — | — | — | NE 2 |
| kJ | 3 | 2 | 16 | 188 | — | — | 3 | 36 | 42 | 142 | 152 | 5 | 11 | 56 | 28 | 28 | 23 | — | — | — | 1 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 156 | 116 | 156 | 116 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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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