Margate Beach
KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Rating right now
Margate Beach is a SE-facing sand beach on the Coastal Waters coastline near KwaZulu-Natal — it picks up E–S swell and turns cleanest in a W–N wind, with the most consistent surf through october–april.
10-day forecast
Local time · updates hourly
Wave height & period
Wind
| Time | Rating | Waves | Swell | Wind | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Water temperature by month
This month: ~21.9°C (71.4°F) on average
Jan
25.7°C
78.3°F · 24.2–27.5°C
Feb
26.4°C
79.5°F · 24.7–28.2°C
Mar
26.4°C
79.5°F · 24.8–28.1°C
Apr
25.5°C
77.9°F · 23.9–26.9°C
May
24.3°C
75.7°F · 22.7–25.9°C
Jun
23.3°C
73.9°F · 22–24.4°C
Jul
22.3°C
72.1°F · 21.2–23.7°C
Aug
21.6°C
70.9°F · 19.9–23°C
Sep
21.9°C
71.4°F · 20.8–23.8°C
Oct
22.4°C
72.3°F · 21.3–24.3°C
Nov
23.5°C
74.3°F · 21.6–24.8°C
Dec
24.7°C
76.5°F · 22.2–26.6°C
25-year monthly averages from the NOAA OISST satellite record — typical range min–max, not a live reading.
Know before you go
Best swell
E–S
Best wind
W–N
Break type
Beach break
Best season
October–April
Safety: Friendly by surf standards, but rip currents and drop-in etiquette still apply. Shifting sandbars create moving rip currents — learn to spot them and use them to get out back. Sharks are part of the ecosystem here — avoid dawn, dusk and murky rivermouth water.
Nearby spots
Second beach
Eastern Cape · South Africa
Shaka's Rock
KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Crayfish
KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Granny's Pool
KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Tiffany's
KwaZulu-Natal · South Africa
Secret Beach
Eastern Cape · South Africa
More beaches in KwaZulu-Natal →see all spots in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
New to reading forecasts?
Two short guides that make the numbers above make sense.