Umhlanga Rocks
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 5 s
Mon 2 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 50kJ
- Wind
- SSE 9 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Tue 3 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- ENE 7 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 50 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 83kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 168kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 76kJ
- Wind
- E 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 39kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sun 8 · 13 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 20kJ
- Wind
- SSW 8 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 137, poor
- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 339, poor
- Wed 450, fair
- Thu 521, poor
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 730, too small
- Sun 813, too small
- Mon 911, poor
- Tue 1047, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jun3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Umhlanga Rocks does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 37, poor | 5 ft5 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 50kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 9 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 39, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 50, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 83kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 21, poor | 5 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 168kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft6 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 76kJ | wind from the east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 30, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 39kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 23°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 13, too small | 1 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.) | 20kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 8 knots | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 21°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 260kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 23°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
Umhlanga Rocks on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Umhlanga Main Beach 0.5 km away
- Bronze Beach 1.1 km away
- Breakers 1.4 km away
- Geteway Wavehouse 1.8 km away
- Peace Cottage 3.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Umhlanga Rocks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (111°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (291°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 50). 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 Umhlanga Rocks, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots 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$1,300–US$2,570 each
about US$1,300–US$2,570 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 ORD to DUR, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,870 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| 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$1,300–US$2,570 |
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
1 min by car · 138 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Umhlanga its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Umhlanga Rocks on Booking.com
1 min by car · 137 places to stay
- Beds in Umdloti on Booking.com
14 min by car · 44 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
About 30h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → DUR, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → DUR on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.