North Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (May - July)

The south-east coast of Africa takes its sweetest form during the late autumn and early winter months. By May, the average swell period climbs above 10.4s and the model flags 54-59% of observations as ideal for surfing. The Indian Ocean high-pressure belt settles in, while cold fronts tracking below the continent send long-period Southern Ocean pulses sweeping up the KwaZulu-Natal coastline. Water temperatures are still a pleasant 21.8-23.7°C and rainfall drops to 0.9-1.4mm/day, so the ocean is clean, punchy and lined up.

Fair Surf Season (April, August and September)

April is the transition month where the trade-wind chop starts to fade and the first true 10s+ groundswell of the year shows up. August keeps the winter size but the wind consistency begins to waver, and September sees the period dip back below 10s as spring winds strengthen. During these months North Beach will still pump, but the window between onshore NE/ENE winds and the better swell directions becomes narrower.

Low Surf Season (October - March)

From October through March the sub-tropical high shifts and the NE/ENE winds roar back to life. Ideal wind percentages drop to 25-32%, average periods fall in the 8.7-9.8s range and the surf gets shorter-period and more wind-affected. There are still head-high waves, and a good E/ESE swell with a morning offshore W/SW breeze can produce excellent sessions, but consistency and quality take a clear step down compared with the winter months.