.jpg){kind=link}
South Beach
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
37Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 20 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 73kJ
- Wind
- ENE 11 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 61kJ
- Wind
- WNW 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 9 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 90kJ
- Wind
- NE 17 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- SSE 6 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 254kJ
- Wind
- SSW 13 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 39 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- ESE 3 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 225, too small
- Tue 320, poor
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 59, poor
- Fri 648, fair
- Sat 732, too small
- Sun 824, poor
- Mon 939, poor
- Tue 100, too big
- Wed 1163, good
The spot in six facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 4–14 ftof swell
- Water 23 °C2 mm shorty
- Best in Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
South Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 25, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 23°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 20, poor | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 73kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 61kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 1 knot, offshore | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 9, poor | 4 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 90kJ | wind from the north-east, 17 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 48, fair | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 6 knots | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft8 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 24, poor | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 13 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 3 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 399kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 10 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 63, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 199kJ | wind from the 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
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:32 −0.4 mHigh 09:30 +0.4 mLow 15:58 −0.2 mHigh 22:14 +0.2 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:31 −0.3 mHigh 11:24 +0.4 mLow 17:58 −0.3 mHigh 23:59 +0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:04 −0.4 mHigh 12:37 +0.6 mLow 19:03 −0.5 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).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
South Beach 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.
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 South Beach
More surf near here
5 places
- New Pier 0.2 km away
- Wedge 0.5 km away
- Dairy Beach 0.7 km away
- North Beach Durban 0.7 km away
- Bay of Plenty 1.4 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About South Beach
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (65°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (245°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–14 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.6 km out (1 in 159). 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 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Durban, 3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 13 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$1,340–US$2,640 each
about US$1,340–US$2,640 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 2 November 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$899–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$148–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$2,640 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 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
about 30 min by car · 137 places to stay
- Beds in Umhlanga on Booking.com
about 30 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.