Richards Bay
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 3 ft swell at 7 s
Mon 2 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 56kJ
- Wind
- NE 8 kn
- Temp
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 44kJ
- Wind
- NNE 14 kn
- Temp
- 33°C
Fri 6 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 85kJ
- Wind
- WSW 10 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 148, fair
- Mon 248, fair
- Tue 338, too small
- Wed 435, too small
- Thu 521, too small
- Fri 637, poor
- Sat 754, fair
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 90, too big
- Tue 1010, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jul2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 49kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 38, too small | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 35, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 56kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, too small | 2 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 44kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 14 knots | 33°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 37, poor | 4 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 3 ft8 ssoft2 ft at break (est.) | 85kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 10 knots | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 560kJ | wind from the south, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, poor | 6 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 340kJ | wind from the north-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovLow 01:12 −0.6 mHigh 07:36 +0.5 mLow 13:48 −0.4 mHigh 20:01 +0.4 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:27 −0.4 mHigh 09:16 +0.4 mLow 15:44 −0.3 mHigh 21:59 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:23 −0.4 mHigh 11:17 +0.4 mLow 17:50 −0.3 mHigh 23:53 +0.3 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best May–Jul
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot, its town, photos
Richards Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Richards Bay
More surf near here
2 places
- South Pier 3.2 km away
- Kleiklip 7.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Richards Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (118°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (298°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 4.3 km out (1 in 435). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, June and July, with about 2 good days in 7; in October and November, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Richards Bay, 3.4 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 1 wind sports spot.
Water about 23°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,290–US$2,550 each
about US$1,290–US$2,550 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to RCB, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and JNB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,550 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 2 towns
6 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Richards Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mtunzini on Booking.com
60 min by car · 19 places to stay
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 30h 50m
About 30h 50m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → RCB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → RCB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.