Umhlanga Surf Forecast and Surf Reports

(KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, South Africa)

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Umhlanga Surf Guide

Umhlanga in Kwazulu-Natal is an exposed beach and reef break that has fairly consistent surf. Summer offers the optimum conditions for surfing. Works best in offshore winds from the north northwest. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell direction is from the southeast. The beach breaks offer lefts and rights and in addition, both left and right reef breaks add variety.. Sometimes crowded. Beware of rips, rocks, locals, sharks, shark protected,.

Umhlanga Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Beach and reef	3	fairly consistent	26.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Umhlanga:

The best conditions reported for surf at Umhlanga occur when a Southeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Northwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Umhlanga (for consistent clean waves)?

juneBest Season: winter

The best time of year for surfing Umhlanga with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Winter and most often the month of June. Clean surfable waves are typically found 40% of the time in June while 38% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 22% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

40%

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

38%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

22%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Umhlanga Location Map

Interactive Umhlanga surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Umhlanga is Virginia (Durban) Airport (VIR) in South Africa, 6 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Umhlanga is Durban International Airport (DUR), also in South Africa, 30 km (19 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Umhlanga Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Friday, 8 May 2026, 05:29 Local Time

m, °C	Friday 08
ft, °F	5AM	8AM	11AM	2PM
Wave (m)	SSW	SSW	SSW	S
Period (s)	11	12	11	12
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- off	cross- off	glass	cross- on

What does Umhlanga look like?

Latest photos from Umhlanga. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: Ian parker Credit: Ian Parker Credit: Ian Parker Credit: Jakes Credit: Jakes

Tides at Umhlanga

Current tide and informaton

For Umdloti, 4 km from Umhlanga.

Next High Water: 06:50am | 1.33m

Next Low Water: 01:14pm | 0.56m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Umhlanga Sea Temperature

Sunny with warm air temperatures at Umhlanga today (feels like 20.0 °C once we account for wind), and warmer sea temperatures (26.1 °C). Wear boardshorts or a shorty, or perhaps a thin summer wetsuit to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a shorty.

Current Temp*: 26.1°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

View Sea Temp Map

Swell History at Umhlanga

Surf stats for Umhlanga, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Average Swell

View Swell Statistics

Wind History at Umhlanga

Wind stats for Umhlanga, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.

Average Wind

View Wind Statistics

Umhlanga Reviews:

Interactive Porthcawl Point location map. View nearby buoy information, live wind conditions and surrounding roads, paths and locations to help find new breaks. Click the buoys or wind icon to view more information.

Ratings

Based on 7 votes.

Overall:3.0
Quality on a good day:3.8
Consistency of Surf:3.6
Difficulty Level:3.2
Wind and Kite Surfing:4.5
Crowds:3.0
...

See all 18 ratings

Review

Impartial reviews submitted by Surf-Forecast users.

Greg fendt from South Africa

“Hi, as a long time (+40 years) surfer, surfing Umhlanga (also known as Rox) the best surf is during winter months May through end July when the early morning off-shore winds blow until about 11am. The summer easterlies are strong and cause lumpy waves and bring serious stinging blue bottles. Best time in summer is the day following a westerly and before the east pumps. Best regards greg”

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