KwaZulu-Natal (North Coast)

Best Time for Ballito & Salt Rock

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

When to Visit Ballito & Salt Rock

Camping: May–Sep. Beach & Swimming: Feb, Apr–Aug. Learn to Surf: All months. Surfing: May–Sep. Stand-Up Paddleboard: May–Jul. Kayaking: All months. Scuba Diving: All months. Snorkelling: Apr–Jul. Fishing: All months.

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

All months

Surfing

May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep

Stand-Up Paddleboard

May, Jun, Jul

Kayaking

All months

Scuba Diving

All months

Snorkelling

Apr, May, Jun, Jul

Fishing

All months

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.

open-meteo.com

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: 2026-06-23

All Destinations Long Weekends Leave Optimizer