Richards Bay (Inside) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and we’re lookin’ at Richards Bay (Inside) for the next couple weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a rough patch of water ahead. Lots of onshore wind and messy swell, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

The first real chance to even paddle out comes around Sunday morning, August 9th. It’s not gonna be a world-beater, but for a moment there, the wind drops to glassy, and we’ve got a little 2ft swell from the south, with a long 14-second period. The water temp is about 71°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. Honestly, it’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary, so just a wobbly sandbar wave to stretch the arms.

Then the wind swings bad and the swell jumps up. By Monday, August 10th, we’re seeing a 12ft swell from the south, but the wind is hammering onshore at 28 mph from the same direction, and the combined energy is a massive 1986 (strong wave energy). That’s a messy, dangerous wall of water for the boat channel, not for a paddle surfer. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The whole week stays rough. Tuesday and Wednesday, August 11th and 12th, still have big 8ft to 8ft swell from the southeast, but with onshore or cross-shore winds, and the period is only 9 seconds, so it’s lumpy, wind-affected junk. The combined energy stays in the 1100 to 1360 range (moderate to strong wave energy). Not a good time for a beginner or an intermediate.

Thursday morning, August 13th, the swell drops to 6ft, and the wind turns light cross-shore from the southwest, but it’s still rain showers and the period is short at 9 seconds. The energy is at 679 (moderate). It’s a marginal call, but you might find a couple of closeouts if you’re desperate.

Now, here’s a standout for you. Friday morning, August 14th. The swell drops to a clean 5ft from the east-southeast, with a 8-second period, but the wind is glassy, dead calm, from the southwest. That’s a proper window. The combined energy is 450 (moderate), but the glassy conditions are the real win here. Expect good surf conditions. Richards Bay (Inside) is a sandbar, so it’s fairly exposed to the swell and the optimum direction is from the south. This is the best it’s gonna get for the whole outlook. It’s a small day, but clean, and with the crowds being only “sometimes” an issue, you might have it decently to yourself.

After that, we slide back into mediocre. Saturday morning, August 15th, has a 3ft swell from the east-southeast, with a light cross-off wind from the north-northeast, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak at 183. It’s ordinary. Sunday morning, August 16th, is glassy again with a 3ft swell from the east, but the period is only 7 seconds, so the wave shape is poor.

The following week, from August 17th to the 23rd, is mostly poor. There’s a small window on Thursday morning, August 20th, with a 4ft swell from the east and a clean cross-off wind, but the combined energy is 272 (weak), and the conditions are marginal. The final day, Sunday morning, August 23rd, has a 4ft swell from the east with a glassy wind, but again, it’s just ordinary.

So, the only true standout is the Friday morning, August 14th. Small, clean, glassy. The rest of the run is mostly a write-off. But hey, in a spot like this, it tends not to stay poor for long, and the forecasts can change. Keep your eyes peeled.

Rusty.

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