Overview

North Beach is one of the iconic Golden Mile beaches in Durban, on the east coast of KwaZulu-Natal. This urban beach offers kite conditions in a tropical setting with warm water year-round (22-26°C). Protected by shark nets and lifeguard-patrolled. Kitesurfing is practised but may be limited by tourist crowds in peak season.

Suggest an edit

Spot forecast for North Beach

Sunrise 05:12 · Sunset 18:08

Open-Meteo

Premium weather models. Get the professional models (ECMWF, GFS, ICON, MeteoSwiss…) and a 16-day forecast. Without a subscription: Open-Meteo over 5 days.

Go Premium

< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Swell and waves

Swell and tides over 8 days. Premium members see the swell and tides over 8 days. Without a subscription: 5 days.

Go Premium

Wave height: < 0.5 m 0.5–1 m 1–2 m 2–3 m ≥ 3 m

Swell data by Open-Meteo Marine

Tides

Heights above lowest astronomical tide, in the spot's local time. Computed 4.2 km from the spot.

Tuesday 20 October Low tide 05:25 · 0.9 m High tide 12:27 · 1.3 m Low tide 18:42 · 0.9 m
Wednesday 21 October High tide 00:36 · 1.3 m Low tide 06:38 · 0.7 m High tide 13:09 · 1.5 m Low tide 19:21 · 0.7 m
Thursday 22 October High tide 01:20 · 1.4 m Low tide 07:16 · 0.6 m High tide 13:39 · 1.7 m Low tide 19:51 · 0.5 m
Friday 23 October High tide 01:52 · 1.6 m Low tide 07:48 · 0.5 m High tide 14:07 · 1.8 m Low tide 20:19 · 0.4 m
Saturday 24 October High tide 02:22 · 1.7 m Low tide 08:18 · 0.3 m High tide 14:35 · 1.9 m Low tide 20:48 · 0.3 m

North Beach: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

232h

in March · 23 rideable days

The season runs from December to March, peaking in March: 21 rideable days a month and 232 hours of usable wind, at 27 °C. The low point is July, at 11 days.

Rideable days per month

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 72%13-20 knots · 27%21-30 knots · 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 72% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is September, at 22 °C. The wettest month is March, with 137 mm.

Monthly averages: North Beach

Monthly averages — North Beach — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month	Rideable days	Usable wind	Temperature	Rain
January	21.5	208 h	27 °C	107 mm
February	18.0	189 h	28 °C	128 mm
March	23.0	232 h	27 °C	137 mm
April	13.5	110 h	25 °C	110 mm
May	14.5	104 h	24 °C	18 mm
June	12.0	83 h	23 °C	31 mm
July	11.0	76 h	23 °C	13 mm
August	19.0	136 h	23 °C	14 mm
September	14.0	114 h	22 °C	99 mm
October	18.0	151 h	24 °C	81 mm
November	16.0	154 h	25 °C	78 mm
December	22.5	211 h	27 °C	93 mm

Photo gallery of North Beach

This spot is waiting for its first images

Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.

Technical details of North Beach spot

The spot works with winds from NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE.

Rideable Not rideable

Spot functioning

The spot works in NE to SE winds. South-east swell is constant. Tide influences beach width. Best at mid-tide. Kite zone may be restricted in peak tourist season. Check local regulations for authorised areas.

Spot opening date · Required level

Spot opening date: Open all year round
Required level: Intermediate

On the water

Warm tropical water (22-26°C), boardshorts or lycra sufficient. Sandy bottom. Regular waves of 0.5 to 1.5 m. Moderate coastal currents. Shark nets installed. Water sometimes murky after rains.

Parking

Easy access from Durban city centre. Paid parking along the Golden Mile beachfront. Public transport available. Many hotels, restaurants and shops nearby. Public showers and toilets on the promenade.

Wind specificities

The dominant wind is the north-east (NE), KZN's summer trade wind, blowing side-onshore on this east-facing coast. This thermal wind strengthens in the afternoon (15-25 knots). East (E) winds blow onshore. SW winds blow offshore and are not recommended. Main season: October to April, rideable year-round.

Hazards

Many swimmers and surfers, respect zones. Shore break in large swell. Coastal currents. Shark nets present but do not guarantee total protection. Jellyfish in summer. Do not ride in lifeguard-patrolled swimming areas.

Something out of date? Suggest an edit

Live

DURBAN INTNL. AIRPORT11 kmsource WIS2 - WMO

Readings reserved for Premium members

Live readings from DURBAN INTNL. AIRPORT weather station are reserved for Premium members.

Real-time readings
Last 48 hours history
Custom alerts
Extended weather forecasts

Discover Premium

Already a Premium member? Log in

Additional stations

Ogimet - Durban, Durban International Airport (South Africa)15.9 km

Readings reserved for Premium members
source ogimet

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near North Beach

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: KwaZulu-Natal

Comments 0

No comments yet.

Log in to comment

North Beach kitesurf, wingfoil and surf spot