Surf Forecasts:
Richards Bay (Inside) surf forecast from 16 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 18 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 9s period, SE swell with cross-onshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Friday 18 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SSE swell with 2,041 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 9s period with SE 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 Friday (Sep 18) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.4m and 9s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 1.3m and 9s is also forecast. 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 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 5PM. 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 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 21) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Fri 18th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 9s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Richards Bay (Inside) over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, let me tell you about it. Rusty here.
Look, the next 16 days for Richards Bay (Inside) are a real mixed bag and honestly, mostly a struggle. For a spot that’s known to be fairly consistent, we’ve got a long stretch of messy, onshore slop. The water temp is sitting at about 70°, which is pretty much bang on normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while you’re staring at the chop.
We’ve got a bit of energy, but it’s all over the shop. A moderate energy swell (600) from the east on Wednesday the 16th, but it’s got a light cross-onshore wind and a set look that’s described as “marginal.” Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for. The conditions get blown out by Thursday, with a fresh cross-shore breeze making everything lumpy.
Friday the 18th morning is where it gets a bit interesting, but with a major caveat. A solid 8ft swell from the SE hits, and the wind is actually cross-offshore, so it will be clean. The combined energy is cranked right up (1477). But here’s the kicker—that’s a big, powerful swell for a sandbar break, and it’s well into the “experts only” territory. If you’re not confident in that size and the strong wind, give it a miss. Friday afternoon just gets worse with a fresh cross-shore wind.
After that, it’s a grim run. Through the weekend and all of the following week, we’re looking at constant moderate cross-shore winds, small messy swell from the east and south, and generally poor conditions. There’s a period of a very long period south swell around the 25th of September (16 seconds, 943 energy), but it’s coming in with a cross-onshore wind. That long period stuff is best for a point or reef, but this is a sandbar, so it’ll likely break too straight.
Honestly, there’s no true standout in this window. If you are an expert, the Friday morning the 18th is the only session with a bit of size and decent wind, but it’s a rough one. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game. The consistency is there, but the quality is not. Blank runs like this happen here, and forecasts can change, but right now it’s a hard pass for most.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 28mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 24°C on Wed morning, min 16°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the S on Wed morning, strong winds from the SW by Fri afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Mon night. Warm (max 25°C on Mon morning, min 18°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Sat night, fresh winds from the NE by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | |||||||||||||||
AM | 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) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 7 | E 10 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ENE 6 | E 8 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 586 | 596 | 339 | 336 | 290 | 557 | 1083 | 2041 | 1727 | 899 | 680 | 486 | 381 | 244 | 311 | 225 | 239 | 180 | 205 | 131 | 251 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:11PM1.67m | 6:22AM1.54m | 6:35PM1.49m | 6:47AM1.37m | 7:01PM1.32m | 7:19AM1.19m | 7:45PM1.14m | 11:25AM1.04m | 00:39AM1.13m | 1:26PM1.22m | 1:32AM1.31m | 1:56PM1.42m | 2:03AM1.49m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:03PM0.28m | 00:19AM0.38m | 12:28PM0.45m | 00:45AM0.55m | 12:54PM0.63m | 1:18AM0.73m | 1:29PM0.82m | 2:49AM0.90m | 6:06PM0.93m | 7:06AM0.79m | 7:29PM0.75m | 7:43AM0.61m | 7:59PM0.57m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 5:48 | — | — | 5:48 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:41 | — | — |
 | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:46 | — | — | 5:46 | — |
mm | — | — | 2 | — | — | 14 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 2 | 1 | — |
Temp °C | 24 | 23 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 |
Feels °C | 25 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 12 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | ESE 9 | SSW 13 | E 9 | SE 9 | SE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | SSW 13 | ESE 8 | E 8 | ESE 8 | S 15 |
| kJ | 586 | 596 | 339 | 296 | 290 | 147 | 54 | 97 | 1389 | 899 | 680 | 486 | 381 | 244 | 311 | 222 | 55 | 180 | 205 | 94 | 40 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 10 | SSW 14 | SW 15 | S 8 | SSW 15 | E 9 | — | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | S 19 | S 15 | S 13 | SSW 13 | S 9 | S 11 | S 16 | S 10 |
| kJ | 9 | 8 | 121 | 54 | 49 | 73 | 198 | — | 21 | 48 | 43 | 37 | 14 | 62 | 170 | 89 | 149 | 6 | 22 | 43 | 8 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | S 14 | — | NE 6 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | — | E 9 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | S 20 | S 11 | E 8 | SSW 13 | — | S 12 | S 16 | S 10 | SE 6 |
| kJ | 5 | 4 | — | 1 | 40 | 140 | 142 | — | 57 | 26 | 24 | 121 | 8 | 10 | 35 | 225 | — | 11 | 20 | 8 | 2 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | S 6 | SSW 7 | SSW 7 | SE 8 | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 10 | — | — | — | NNE 7 | ENE 5 | NE 5 | ENE 8 | E 8 | — | ENE 8 | ENE 6 | E 8 |
| kJ | — | — | 288 | 336 | 186 | 557 | 1083 | 2041 | 1727 | — | — | — | 5 | 71 | 53 | 134 | 239 | — | 151 | 131 | 251 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 513 | 513 | 484 | 626 | 55 | 626 | 55 | 76 | 76 | 0 | 867 | 474 | 156 | 156 | 156 | 0 | 1 | 76 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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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