KwaZulu-Natal (North Coast)

Best Time for Ballito & Salt Rock

Upscale KZN North Coast — warm tidal pools, consistent surf, family beaches

Monthly scores for 9 activities — derived from multi-year wind, rainfall, sea temperature, and wave averages. No opinion: every score is calculated from the data.

Camping — Month by Month

Scored on: Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)

Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Scale:ExcellentGoodFairPoorAvoid· key data point shown per cell

Jan

3/5

Fair

12.4d rain

Feb

3/5

Fair

14d rain

Mar

3/5

Fair

11.8d rain

Apr

3/5

Fair

11d rain

May

5/5

Excellent

5.4d rain

Jun

5/5

Excellent

3.2d rain

Jul

5/5

Excellent

3.4d rain

Hols

Aug

4/5

Good

6.4d rain

Sep

4/5

Good

8.6d rain

Oct

3/5

Fair

11.8d rain

Nov

3/5

Fair

10.6d rain

Dec

3/5

Fair

13.4d rain

Hols

Where to go

Ballito Holiday Resort
Compensation Beach Park

Best Months per Activity

Months scoring 4/5 or higher. Click a row to explore that activity.

Camping

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Beach & Swimming

Feb, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug

Learn to Surf

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Surfing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Stand-Up Paddleboard

May, Jun, Jul

Kayaking

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Scuba Diving

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Snorkelling

Apr, May, Jun, Jul

Fishing

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Monthly Weather Averages

5-year averages 2020–2024 (ERA5); wave height 3-year average 2022–2024 (CMEMS)

Month	High/Low (°C)	Rain days	Wind (km/h)	Sea (°C)	Wave (m)	School
January	26.9/20.8	12.4	25.1	25.7	2.1	Term
February	27/21.1	14	24.1	26.5	2.1	Term
March	26.7/20	11.8	25.3	26.3	2.2	Term
April	24.6/17.6	11	23.2	25.1	2.3	Term
May	23.7/14.9	5.4	20.9	24	2.1	Term
June	22.2/12.2	3.2	19.8	22.7	2.2	Term
July	21.8/11.3	3.4	21.4	21.7	2.3	Winter break
August	22.6/12.8	6.4	26.2	21.3	2.6	Term
September	23/15.1	8.6	26.7	21.4	2.4	Term
October	23.3/16.6	11.8	27.8	22	2.5	Term
November	24.7/18.5	10.6	26.5	23.1	2.2	Term
December	26.2/20.2	13.4	26	24.5	2.1	Summer break

How Scores Are Calculated

Each month receives a score of 1–5 per activity using fixed thresholds on the raw data. No editorial judgement — every score is derived directly from ERA5, NOAA ERSSTv5, and CMEMS figures.

Camping:Dry nights, mild temperatures (frost/heat penalty)

Beach & Swimming:Warm air & sea, low wind, low rain

Learn to Surf:Moderate waves (1–2.5 m), warm sea, light wind

Surfing:Swell 1.5–4 m, offshore wind preferred

Stand-Up Paddleboard:Light wind <22 km/h, small waves, warm

Kayaking:Manageable wind & swell, dry, mild

Scuba Diving:Calm seas, warm water (visibility & comfort)

Snorkelling:Calm, clear, warm water

Fishing:Calm seas, manageable wind, cooler water

Data Sources & Attribution

Wind speed, rainfall & air temperature

ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) via Open-Meteo Archive API. Daily-max 10 m wind speed, total daily precipitation, and 2 m temperature, 2020–2024, averaged to monthly means. License: CC-BY 4.0.

Sea surface temperature

NOAA ERSSTv5 (Extended Reconstructed Sea Surface Temperature, version 5) accessed via NOAA CoastWatch ERDDAP. Monthly mean SST at nearest 1° grid cell, 2020–2024. NOAA NCEI public domain dataset.

coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap

Significant wave height

CMEMS (Copernicus Marine Service) via Open-Meteo Marine API. Daily-max significant wave height at nearest offshore grid point, 2022–2024 (3-year average; CMEMS model data available from 2022). License: CC-BY 4.0.

marine-api.open-meteo.com

Data last fetched: 2026-05-02

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