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Umhlanga Surf Report

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SURF RATING
POOR
★★☆☆☆
Marginal: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.
WAVE
1.5 m
SWELL
1.0m @ 7s
WIND
15 km/h Cross-shore
WATER
22.2°C

★★☆☆☆

Marginal: chest-to-head-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, with a little cross-shore texture.

Swell: 1.0 m @ 7 s (SSW)

Wave height: 1.5 m

Wind: 15 km/h SSE Cross-shore

Sea temp: 22.2 °C · Wetsuit: Shorty / springsuit

Best window today: 15:00–17:00 (lightest wind)

🧬 Break DNA
10% match
Today: off its ideal window today
🌊 Wave type
Beach & reef
🧭 Best swell
E groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
W offshore
🏄 Board
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

Cross-shore windwave direction
  • Short, wind-driven SSW swell at 7s is hitting at an angle
  • 14 km/h cross-shore wind gives some texture
  • Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
Umhlanga surf mission card
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🏄 When to paddle out today

🏄 Reading today’s surf…
00:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 4km/h Cross01:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 1km/h Onshore02:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.5m chest-head · 7km/h Offshore03:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m chest-head · 14km/h Cross04:00 — Marginal (★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 34km/h Cross05:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 29km/h Cross06:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m chest-head · 26km/h Cross07:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 21km/h Cross08:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 26km/h Cross09:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 26km/h Cross10:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 26km/h Cross11:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.7m chest-head · 23km/h Cross12:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 20km/h Cross13:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.6m chest-head · 16km/h Cross14:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m chest-head · 15km/h Cross15:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m chest-head · 15km/h Cross16:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 16km/h Cross17:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 15km/h Cross18:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 19km/h Cross19:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 15km/h Cross20:00 — Fun (★★★) · 1.5m waist-chest · 19km/h Cross21:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.4m waist-chest · 16km/h Offshore22:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.4m waist-chest · 12km/h Offshore23:00 — Clean (★★★★) · 1.4m waist-chest · 9km/h Offshorenow00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00
■ epic   ■ clean   ■ fun   ■ marginal   ■ flat   ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour

🎒 Pack for this session

🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
Shorty / springsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen (UV very high)
☀️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
NESW
■ swell in   ■ wind (green=offshore/good)   offshore zone
Spot match
Swell anglePeriodSizeWindSea state
5-day wave & wind forecast
WedThuFriSatSun0.0m0.9m1.8m01225now
■ wave height (m)   ── wind (km/h, right)

7-Day Surf Forecast

DayRatingWavePeriodSwellMidday wind
Tue 13 Oct ★★★☆☆ 1.7 m 7 s SSE 20 km/h Cross
Wed 14 Oct ★☆☆☆☆ 1.1 m 7 s SE 12 km/h Onshore
Thu 15 Oct ★★★☆☆ 1.3 m 5 s E 24 km/h Cross
Fri 16 Oct ★★★☆☆ 1.6 m 9 s S 16 km/h Onshore
Sat 17 Oct ★★☆☆☆ 1.7 m 6 s E 19 km/h Onshore
Sun 18 Oct ★★★☆☆ 1.7 m 6 s S 24 km/h Cross
Mon 19 Oct ★★★☆☆ 1.7 m 7 s ESE 12 km/h Cross

Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.

🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)

00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00H 04:42L 10:43H 16:52L 23:04now

☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day

Sunrise 05:18 · Sunset 18:05 · Peak UV 8

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 Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:13 SAST.

Aerial map — Umhlanga

Crayonised aerial map of Umhlanga
Main Beach
Bronze Beach
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 Umhlanga — Surf Local Knowledge

Umhlanga Rocks is an upmarket coastal town just north of Durban, its palm-lined promenade and landmark red-and-white lighthouse fronting a warm-water beach on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast. It is a busy, well-developed holiday and residential hub with a Blue Flag main beach and an easygoing subtropical atmosphere.

The surf is a beach break, offering consistent, generally user-friendly waves that suit beginners and intermediates, with punchier days when a solid swell arrives. It works on south to south-east swell with offshore winds from the west, and the water stays warm year-round. As a managed KZN bathing beach it has lifeguards and shark nets, which are lifted during the winter sardine run. Crowds are common in the main bathing area, so surfers spread to the quieter banks; watch for rip currents and the rocky sections that give the town its name.

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