Is it worth the trip?
36Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: 14 kn gusting 28, side-shore, Water: chop
Mon 2 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- SW 8 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 25°C
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- SW 5 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Shore
- cross-off
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 33 out of 100
- Wind
- ENE 12 kn
- Gusts
- 25kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 31°C
Thu 5 · 67 out of 100
- Wind
- NNE 14 kn
- Gusts
- 28kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 33°C
Fri 6 · 33 out of 100
- Wind
- SSW 13 kn
- Gusts
- 31kn
- Shore
- side
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Wind
- S 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 52 out of 100
- Wind
- S 11 kn
- Gusts
- 32kn
- Shore
- side-on
- Water
- chop
- Air
- 23°C
Tap a day for wind, gusts, shore and air. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 120, poor
- Mon 20, poor
- Tue 30, poor
- Wed 449, fair
- Thu 567, good
- Fri 633, poor
- Sat 70, poor
- Sun 852, fair
- Mon 926, poor
- Tue 1025, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEopen to the SE
- Best wind: SW or NEalong the shore
- Avoid: NWblows out to sea
- Shelteredto the swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Oct–Dec4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know gusts, offshore wind, tides or your skill.
| Day | Score | Wind | Gusts | Shore | Water | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 20, poor | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 20kn | side | chop | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 0, poor | wind from the south-west, 8 knots | 17kn | cross-off | chop | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, poor | wind from the south-west, 5 knots | 12kn | cross-off | chop | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 49, fair | wind from the east-north-east, 12 knots | 25kn | side-on | chop | 31°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 67, good | wind from the north-north-east, 14 knots | 28kn | side | chop | 33°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 33, poor | wind from the south-south-west, 13 knots | 31kn | side | chop | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, poor | wind from the south, 3 knots | 8kn | side-on | chop | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 52, fair | wind from the south, 11 knots | 32kn | side-on | chop | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 26, poor | wind from the south, 11 knots | 39kn | side-on | 1.2 mwaves | 23°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 25, poor | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 23kn | side | 0.8 mwaves | 26°C |
Wind is the day's best reading, mean and gusts, in knots; the arrow points where it blows to. Shore "off" blows out to sea. 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 Oct–Dec
Good windsurf days in a typical week, each month, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug3of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep3of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast. Reanalysis wind misses some local thermal winds, so a spot known for an afternoon breeze may do better than this.
Map
the spot and its town
Richards Bay on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: 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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Richards Bay
Known for kitesurfing and windsurfing, by the OpenStreetMap map of the area. The shore faces SE, so wind from the NW blows out to sea (our estimate from the coastline).
Water about 24°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
A spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing, as OpenStreetMap maps it, on a shore facing SE. Wind from the SE blows onshore, wind from the NW blows out to sea, and wind from the SW or NE runs along the shore. It is sheltered to the open sea. The sea is about 22°C in July, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 27°C in February, its warmest (no wetsuit). For windsurfing at intermediate level the best months are usually October, November and December, with about 4 good days in 7; in June, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Richards Bay. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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$1,230–US$2,450 each
about US$1,230–US$2,450 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
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 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,450 |
Kit hire is not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Richards Bay
4 min by car · 14 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Richards Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
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 45m
About 30h 45m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → RCB, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → RCB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.