ISO 24444 / ISO 24443 EU COLIPA and SANS 1557 Verified Broadspectrum Sunscreens
Ballito Surf Report
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SURF RATING
FAIR
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: waist-to-chest-high waves on long-period groundswell, though onshore wind is adding chop.
WAVE
1.4 m
SWELL
1.0m @ 11s
WIND
10 km/h Onshore
WATER
21.6°C
★★★☆☆
Fair — worth a paddle: waist-to-chest-high waves on long-period groundswell, though onshore wind is adding chop.
Swell: 1.0 m @ 11 s (SSE)
Wave height: 1.4 m
Wind: 10 km/h NE Onshore
Sea temp: 21.6 °C · Wetsuit: Shorty / springsuit
Best window today: 15:00–17:00 (lightest wind)
🧬 Break DNA
27% match
Today: off its ideal window today
🌊 Wave type
Beach & reef
🧭 Best swell
E groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
W offshore
🏄 Board
Step-up or performance shortboard
📈 Skill
Intermediate–advanced
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.
🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now
- Long-period SSE swell at 11s is hitting at an angle
- 9 km/h onshore wind is adding chop
- Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
🏄 When to paddle out today
🏄 Reading today’s surf…
■ epic ■ clean ■ fun ■ marginal ■ flat ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour
🎒 Pack for this session
🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
Shorty / springsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
☀️Midday:Warmer but often windier; moderate crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
■ swell in ■ wind (green=offshore/good) offshore zone
Spot match
5-day wave & wind forecast
■ wave height (m) ── wind (km/h, right)
7-Day Surf Forecast
| Day | Rating | Wave | Period | Swell | Midday wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 23 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 1.4 m | 10 s | SSE | 12 km/h Onshore |
| Thu 24 Sep | ★★★☆☆ | 1.3 m | 8 s | SE | 20 km/h Cross |
| Fri 25 Sep | ★★☆☆☆ | 1.3 m | 8 s | SE | 22 km/h Onshore |
| Sat 26 Sep | ★★☆☆☆ | 2.0 m | 6 s | E | 7 km/h Onshore |
| Sun 27 Sep | ★★☆☆☆ | 2.2 m | 7 s | SSE | 30 km/h Cross |
| Mon 28 Sep | ★★★★☆ | 1.7 m | 7 s | S | 20 km/h Offshore |
| Tue 29 Sep | ★★★★☆ | 1.5 m | 6 s | SSE | 20 km/h Offshore |
Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.
🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)
☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day
Sunrise 05:42 · Sunset 17:52 · Peak UV 7
Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.
Shop SPF 50 sunscreen →Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Wed, 23 Sep 2026 09:13 SAST.
Aerial map — Ballito
Willard Beach
Thompson's Bay
Peak
Hand-styled from NGI 0.25 m national aerial. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.
About Ballito — Surf Local Knowledge
Ballito is the main hub of the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, a fast-growing resort town about forty minutes north of Durban, known for its warm water, dune forest and a string of small beaches linked by a coastal path. Willard Beach is the busy central bathing beach, with Salmon Bay, Thompson's Bay and other tidal-pool coves nearby.
The surf is beach-break, with banks scattered along the town's beaches producing rights and lefts that suit beginners and intermediates, and firing harder on a good swell. It works on south to south-east swell with a west offshore, and the water is warm throughout the year. The main beaches are managed with lifeguards and shark nets, which are lifted for the winter sardine run. Expect crowds at Willard in season; watch for rocks around the coves and rips near the river mouths.