River Mouth
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
41Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- SSE 7 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- SSW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 168kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 45 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 101kJ
- Wind
- E 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 58kJ
- Wind
- S 15 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 146, fair
- Mon 227, too small
- Tue 346, fair
- Wed 461, good
- Thu 530, poor
- Fri 645, fair
- Sat 727, too small
- Sun 820, poor
- Mon 912, poor
- Tue 1051, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jun3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south, 10 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 7 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 46, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 61, good | 4 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 6 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 45, fair | 4 ft5 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 101kJ | wind from the east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 20, poor | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 58kJ | wind from the south, 15 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 12, poor | 5 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the south-west, 9 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 51, fair | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the north-east, 2 knots | 24°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 01:14 −0.5 mHigh 07:44 +0.4 mLow 13:55 −0.3 mHigh 20:09 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:32 −0.4 mHigh 09:29 +0.4 mLow 15:58 −0.2 mHigh 22:13 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:29 −0.3 mHigh 11:23 +0.4 mLow 17:57 −0.3 mHigh 23:58 +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 in Jun
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
- Jun3of 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 and its town
River Mouth 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.
More surf near here
5 places
- Blue Lagoon 0.2 km away
- Tekweni Beach 1 km away
- Oasis 1.8 km away
- Sunkist 2 km away
- Battery Beach 3.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About River Mouth
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (96°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (276°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.5 km out (1 in 152). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 21°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 26°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually June, with about 3 good days in 7; in October and November, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Durban, 6.3 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 10 surf spots.
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$1,340–US$2,630 each
about US$1,340–US$2,630 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,870 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| 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$1,340–US$2,630 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: 3 towns
11 min by car · 113 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Durban its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Umhlanga Rocks on Booking.com
17 min by car · 137 places to stay
- Beds in Umhlanga on Booking.com
18 min by car · 138 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 15m
About 30h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → DUR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.