Surf Forecasts:
Zinkwazi surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, S swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 16ft (5.0m), 14s period, S swell with 10,579 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 18 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 5s period with NNE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Zinkwazi this week:
The surf forecast for Zinkwazi over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 18) at 2AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 5s period with a secondary swell of 0.1m and 17s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Zinkwazi in the next 16 days are 5.0m 14s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 10s period and expected on Monday (Aug 17) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2AM (Tue 18th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 5s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 16ft (5.0m) 14s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Zinkwazi over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 16°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummarySome drizzle, heaviest during Thu afternoon. Warm (max 35°C on Sat morning, min 17°C on Fri night). Mainly strong winds. | |||||||||||||||||||
Sun 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | ||||||||||||||
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) | ESE 11 | NE 4 | ESE 10 | S 12 | NNE 5 | S 18 | S 17 | S 17 | S 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | S 16 | S 15 | S 13 | NE 6 | S 11 | S 11 | S 8 |
Wave Graph  | ||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 439 | 25 | 294 | 3 | 55 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 39 | 72 | 237 | 320 | 253 | 317 | 853 | 356 | 154 | 90 | 89 | 333 |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:00PM1.91m | 6:07AM1.74m | 6:29PM1.78m | 6:35AM1.61m | 6:56PM1.62m | 7:03AM1.46m | 7:25PM1.45m | 7:33AM1.29m | 8:00PM1.27m | 8:20AM1.13m | 9:25PM1.12m | 12:05PM1.05m | 00:57AM1.16m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:06AM0.19m | 12:13PM0.15m | 00:35AM0.31m | 12:41PM0.30m | 1:04AM0.45m | 1:10PM0.47m | 1:36AM0.60m | 1:43PM0.64m | 2:22AM0.75m | 2:39PM0.81m | 4:42AM0.86m | 6:12PM0.87m | ||||||||
 |  | | | |  | |  | | | | |  | | | | | | | | |
 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:32 | — | — | 5:34 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 20 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 22 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 35 | 23 | 19 |
Feels °C | 17 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 30 | 19 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | ESE 11 | ESE 10 | E 10 | E 9 | E 9 | ESE 9 | ESE 9 | E 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 8 | S 14 | S 7 | S 15 | S 13 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | E 7 | S 8 |
| kJ | 439 | 469 | 294 | 369 | 287 | 165 | 132 | 123 | 88 | 66 | 88 | 32 | 58 | 135 | 853 | 356 | 74 | 63 | 38 | 213 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | S 13 | S 12 | S 17 | S 14 | S 17 | S 5 | S 15 | SSW 15 | E 8 | S 14 | ESE 8 | S 16 | ESE 8 | — | S 12 | S 11 | S 11 | ENE 8 |
| kJ | 10 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 39 | 72 | 105 | 97 | 22 | 317 | 21 | — | 141 | 90 | 89 | 19 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 12 | S 15 | S 13 | — | S 10 | S 18 | S 13 | S 17 | S 4 | S 4 | — | NE 6 | — | ESE 8 | — | — | S 16 | — | — | E 8 |
| kJ | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | 2 | 6 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 1 | — | 7 | — | 22 | — | — | 20 | — | — | 5 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 4 | NE 4 | NNE 4 | E 10 | NNE 5 | SSW 4 | S 5 | SSW 5 | NE 2 | ENE 5 | SSW 15 | S 7 | S 7 | — | — | E 4 | NE 6 | — | S 5 | S 8 |
| kJ | 10 | 25 | 34 | 605 | 55 | 13 | 34 | 26 | 1 | 43 | 237 | 320 | 253 | — | — | 46 | 154 | — | 37 | 333 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 83 | 26 | 83 | 83 | 0 | 75 | 75 | 26 | 83 | 83 | 26 | 485 | 318 | 0 | 721 | 640 | 41 | 26 | 931 | 23 |
Best forecast wave conditions in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Zinkwazi 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 Zinkwazi Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Zinkwazi provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Zinkwazi can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Zinkwazi 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 (Zinkwazi) 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 Zinkwazi 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.
Are you planning a holiday in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast? If you are looking for accommodation near Zinkwazi, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, consider staying in Stanger which is 21 km (13 miles) away. Other places in and around KwaZulu-Natal North Coast where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Eshowe which is 38 km (24 miles) away, Ballitoville, eSikhawini and Empangeni.
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