The Tide Chart www.thetidechart.com September 2026 · generated 4 Sep 2026, 04:16
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Richards Bay · September 2026 04:16 · UTC+2
South Africa KwaZulu-Natal 28.783° S · 32.038° E

Richards Bay Tide Chart

Tide predictions, solunar fishing times and marine weather for Richards Bay, South Africa — updated daily, free forever.

Rising
-0.1 m
High in 3h 14m
0.4 m at 07:30
Last low tide: -0.5 m at 01:20

The water level is rising. Next high tide in 3 h 14 min (07:30).

06:03 17:39 Coefficient 31 · low Calculated for Richards Bay's local time · UTC+2

At a glance

Wind 12 kn from SSW · gust 27 kn Waves 1.6 m from S · 7 s Fish activity Slow 2 major + 2 minor periods Air temp 22° feels like 22° Water temp 22° Sea surface Pressure 1012 hPa Rising UV index 5 Moderate exposure Coefficient 31 36 morning · 31 afternoon

Pick a date

September 2026

Tides

Low 01:20 · -0.5 m High 07:30 · 0.4 m Low 13:40 · -0.4 m High 20:00 · 0.4 m
High Low Daylight · 11h 36m Major Minor

L 01:20 -0.5 m H 07:30 0.4 m L 13:40 -0.4 m H 20:00 0.4 m

Interpolated estimate · FES2022 global tide model · heights referenced to Mean Sea Level · Africa/Johannesburg (UTC+2) · Why might this differ?

HAT
0.4 m
highest astronomical tide
MSL
-0.1 m
mean sea level — the chart's zero
LAT
-0.5 m
lowest astronomical tide

The sun rises at 06:03 and sets at 17:39. Today brings 2 high tides and 2 low tides: high water at 07:30 (0.4 m) and 20:00 (0.4 m); low water at 01:20 (-0.5 m) and 13:40 (-0.4 m). The sun crosses the local meridian at 11:50, its highest point of the day.

Hour by hour

Interpolated heights · Friday 4 September
HourHeightTrend
00:00 -0.3 m ↘ Falling
01:00 -0.4 m ↘ Falling
02:00 -0.4 m ↗ Rising
03:00 -0.3 m ↗ Rising
04:00 -0.1 m ↗ Rising
05:00 0.1 m ↗ Rising
06:00 0.3 m ↗ Rising
07:00 0.4 m ↗ Rising
08:00 0.4 m ↘ Falling
09:00 0.3 m ↘ Falling
10:00 0.1 m ↘ Falling
11:00 -0.1 m ↘ Falling
HourHeightTrend
12:00 -0.3 m ↘ Falling
13:00 -0.4 m ↘ Falling
14:00 -0.4 m ↗ Rising
15:00 -0.3 m ↗ Rising
16:00 -0.2 m ↗ Rising
17:00 0.0 m ↗ Rising
18:00 0.2 m ↗ Rising
19:00 0.3 m ↗ Rising
20:00 0.4 m ↘ Falling
21:00 0.3 m ↘ Falling
22:00 0.3 m ↘ Falling
23:00 0.2 m ↘ Falling

Sea & weather now

Conditions at Richards Bay right now, in station-local time.

Air temp 22°C Clear sky · feels like 22° · H 23° · L 19°
Water temp 22°C 22° to 22° today
Wind 12 kn SSW · Force 4 · Mod. breeze · gusts 27 kn
Swell 1.6 m S · 7 s period
Humidity 81% Dew point 19°
Visibility 24 km Cloud cover 0%

Next 24 hours

temperature · wind · rain · humidity
00:00 Clear sky 21° 9 SSW 0% 0.0 80%
02:00 Clear sky 22° 11 SW 0% 0.0 80%
04:00 Clear sky 22° 12 SSW 0% 0.0 81%
06:00 Partly cloudy 21° 14 SSW 6% 0.0 78%
08:00 Overcast 22° 14 SSW 26% 0.0 79%
10:00 Light drizzle 22° 15 SSW 55% 0.4 79%
12:00 Light drizzle 22° 16 SSW 77% 0.2 74%
14:00 Light drizzle 22° 14 SSW 90% 0.3 73%
16:00 Light drizzle 21° 14 S 94% 0.3 71%
18:00 Light drizzle 20° 14 SSE 93% 0.4 74%
20:00 Light drizzle 19° 14 SSE 87% 0.3 71%
22:00 Light drizzle 19° 12 SSE 77% 0.3 69%
23:00 Light drizzle 19° 11 SSE 71% 0.2 68%

Rain chance and millimetres per hour, then relative humidity. Scroll for the rest of the day.

Fishing barometer

1012 hPa ↗ Rising
  • Rising Very good — today Rising pressure after a low signals settling weather — fish feed confidently and this is often the best barometer window of all.
  • Stable Normal activity A steady barometer for a day or more means settled conditions and predictable, average feeding around tides and solunar peaks.
  • Falling Good at first A dropping barometer sparks a burst of feeding before the weather turns, then activity slows markedly as the front arrives.
min 1010 hPa max 1029 hPa Hover, tap or arrow-key the line to read any hour.

The barometer is rising, which usually switches feeding back on: fish sense settling conditions and move to feed with confidence. A rising trend after a spell of low pressure is one of the strongest signals to get out on the water.

UV index

solar protection

UV 5

Moderate

Moderate exposure — wear sunglasses and apply SPF 30+ if you are out over the middle of the day.

1–2 · Low
Little risk — most people need no sun protection.
3–7 · Moderate to high
Wear a hat, sunglasses and SPF 30+, and take shade around midday.
8+ · Very high to extreme
Use SPF 50+, cover up and stay out of the sun through the middle of the day.
Water temperature 22° Ranges 22° to 22° today
22°
0 h
22°
2 h
22°
4 h
22°
6 h
22°
8 h
22°
10 h
22°
12 h
22°
14 h
22°
16 h
22°
18 h
22°
20 h
22°
22 h
22°
24 h

The sea surface holds around 22.2° today, moving between 22.0° and 22.4°. Water temperature sets the pace of fish metabolism, so even a small shift can change where fish hold and how actively they feed.

Outlook

Next 7 days
  • Fri 4 Light drizzle 23°/19° 16 kn
  • Sat 5 Partly cloudy 22°/15° 10 kn
  • Sun 6 Overcast 21°/15° 6 kn
  • Mon 7 Overcast 20°/17° 6 kn
  • Tue 8 Mainly clear 27°/18° 11 kn
  • Wed 9 Clear sky 29°/18° 11 kn
  • Thu 10 Mainly clear 32°/18° 12 kn

Air quality

Moderate · EAQI 44

Air quality is moderate. Sensitive groups should consider reducing prolonged outdoor exertion.

O₃ Ozone Fair 82.3µg/m³ Forms in sunlight; can irritate airways at high levels. Bar is scaled to 130 µg/m³, where the "poor" band starts.
PM10 Good 17.4µg/m³ Coarse particles from dust, sea spray and traffic. Bar is scaled to 50 µg/m³, where the "poor" band starts.
PM2.5 Fair 12.5µg/m³ Fine particles that reach deep into the lungs. Bar is scaled to 25 µg/m³, where the "poor" band starts.

Bands follow the European Air Quality Index; the day's index is its worst hour, each pollutant its daily mean. Air quality from CAMS.

Weather & marine data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · times are Richards Bay local time.

Tidal coefficient · September

Bigger coefficients mean larger tides and stronger currents
Friday 4 September 31 Low

Morning 36 · afternoon 31

Month range 20 – 103

Heights this month span -1.1 m to 1.1 m above the chart datum

Biggest tides: 9–12 Sep (coef 103) · Quietest stretch: 18–19 Sep (coef 20)

September 2026 — hover, tap or arrow-key a bar to read that day

Very high High Average Low

A larger coefficient means a wider gap between high and low water, so the strongest currents run along the sea bed. Tidal range also shifts with the weather — check the wind and swell before you head out.

Swell

From S (184°) · 7.2 s period
Most frequent waves 0.8 m About half the significant height — what you will see most of the time.
Significant height 1.6 m The standard forecast figure — roughly 1 wave in 7 runs higher, on a 7.2 second period.
Maximum waves 3.2 m The odd crest reaches this — allow for it before heading into exposed water.
Swell height 0 – 3.5 m scale 00:00 · 06:00 · 12:00 · 18:00 · 24:00
0 h 1.3 m 8 s ESE
2 h 1.2 m 8 s SE
4 h 1.6 m 7 s S
6 h 2.0 m 7 s SSW
8 h 2.2 m 7 s SSW
10 h 2.3 m 7 s SSW
12 h 2.3 m 7 s SSW
14 h 2.3 m 7 s S
16 h 2.4 m 7 s S
18 h 2.6 m 8 s S
20 h 2.8 m 8 s SSE
22 h 2.8 m 8 s SSE
24 h 2.8 m 8 s SSE

These figures describe the swell out in open water. Closer to the beach the waves shift with the shape of the coastline and the seabed, though in most spots they end up broadly similar.

Solunar

Feeding windows from the moon's transit, rise and set — the free solunar rating for Richards Bay.

Best fishing times today

Slow

Solunar theory rates today a slow day for fishing at Richards Bay — plan around the major and minor periods below.

Minor Average activity

23:48 – 00:48

Moonrise

Major Peak activity

04:25 – 06:25

Moon overhead (lunar transit)

Overlaps sunrise or sunset
Minor Average activity

09:59 – 10:59

Moonset

Major Peak activity

16:56 – 18:56

Moon underfoot (opposing transit)

Overlaps sunrise or sunset
Major period Minor period Daylight

Major periods track the moon's transit and opposing transit and run about two hours; minor periods open at moonrise and moonset and last about an hour. When a period lands on sunrise or sunset, activity climbs higher still — and that overlap happens today.

Moon

Friday 4 September
Last quarter 49% illuminated · 22.2 days old Moonrise 00:18 · Moonset 10:29 · transit 05:25 Visible for 10h 11m
rise 00:18 · 59° ENE set 10:29 · 302° WNW transit 05:25
04 SEP Last Quarter 09:51 today
11 SEP New Moon 05:26 in 7 days
18 SEP First Quarter 22:43 in 14 days
26 SEP Full Moon 18:49 in 22 days

Planner

When to go this week, and which days of September are worth the drive.

Bite windows

Friday 4 September

Fish feed hardest when the water starts moving — plan around the hour before and after each tide turn.

Low tide turn

00:20 – 02:20

Water bottoms out at 01:20 then starts to rise.

High tide turn

06:30 – 08:30

Water peaks at 07:30 then starts to fall.

Low tide turn

12:40 – 14:40

Water bottoms out at 13:40 then starts to rise.

High tide turn

19:00 – 21:00

Water peaks at 20:00 then starts to fall.

Best days in September

Ranked by tidal coefficient — pick a day to load it.

Quietest stretch: 18–19 Sep (coef 20)

Astronomical observation · moon, sun and Earth

today, 4 September 2026
Moon Distance Earth–Moon 370,264km Angular diameter 0° 32′
Sun Distance Earth–Sun 150,864,345km Angular diameter 0° 32′

Daylight & twilight

Station local time
Golden hour, blue hour and twilight times at Richards Bay today, morning and evening.
LightMorningEvening
Golden hourSoft, warm light — the photographer's window 05:48 – 06:34 17:07 – 17:53
Blue hourDeep even blue just past the sun 05:39 – 05:48 17:53 – 18:02
Civil twilightBright enough to work without lights 05:39 – 06:03 17:39 – 18:02
Nautical twilightHorizon still visible at sea 05:11 – 05:39 18:02 – 18:30
Astronomical twilightThe last trace of sunlight 04:44 – 05:11 18:30 – 18:57

Lighting the Earth at this moment

04:16 UTC+2 · 4 September 2026 · equirectangular, 180°W → 180°E
Day and night world map showing where Richards Bay sits right now

The bright band marks where the Sun stands overhead right now; the pin is Richards Bay. As the Earth turns, the day-and-night line sweeps westward and this map refreshes with the local clock.

Tide table

September 2026
Tide times, heights, coefficient and fishing activity for every day of September 2026 at Richards Bay.
Day Moon Sun 1st tide 2nd tide 3rd tide 4th tide Coefficient Activity
1 Tue 81% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:06 Sunset17:37 05:40 0.9 m high tide 11:50 -0.9 m low tide 18:00 0.9 m high tide 74 · High Fair
2 Wed 71% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:05 Sunset17:38 00:10 -0.8 m low tide 06:10 0.7 m high tide 12:20 -0.8 m low tide 18:30 0.8 m high tide 60 · Average Fair
3 Thu 61% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:04 Sunset17:38 00:50 -0.7 m low tide 06:50 0.6 m high tide 12:50 -0.6 m low tide 19:10 0.6 m high tide 44 · Low Fair
4 Fri 49% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:03 Sunset17:39 01:20 -0.5 m low tide 07:30 0.4 m high tide 13:40 -0.4 m low tide 20:00 0.4 m high tide 31 · Low Slow
5 Sat 38% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:01 Sunset17:39 02:30 -0.3 m low tide 08:40 0.2 m high tide 15:10 -0.2 m low tide 22:30 0.2 m high tide 45 · Low Fair
6 Sun 27% illuminated · waning Sunrise06:00 Sunset17:40 05:40 -0.2 m low tide 12:30 0.2 m high tide 19:00 -0.2 m low tide 60 · Average Fair
7 Mon 17% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:59 Sunset17:40 01:10 0.3 m high tide 07:30 -0.4 m low tide 13:50 0.5 m high tide 20:00 -0.5 m low tide 75 · High Fair
8 Tue 9% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:58 Sunset17:41 02:10 0.5 m high tide 08:20 -0.6 m low tide 14:30 0.7 m high tide 20:40 -0.7 m low tide 88 · High Good
9 Wed 4% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:57 Sunset17:41 02:50 0.7 m high tide 08:50 -0.8 m low tide 15:10 0.9 m high tide 21:20 -0.8 m low tide 98 · Very high Excellent
10 Thu 1% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:56 Sunset17:42 03:20 0.9 m high tide 09:20 -1.0 m low tide 15:40 1.1 m high tide 21:50 -1.0 m low tide 103 · Very high Excellent
11 Fri 0% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:54 Sunset17:42 03:50 1.0 m high tide 09:50 -1.1 m low tide 16:10 1.1 m high tide 22:20 -1.0 m low tide 103 · Very high Excellent
12 Sat 2% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:53 Sunset17:43 04:20 1.0 m high tide 10:20 -1.1 m low tide 16:40 1.1 m high tide 22:40 -1.0 m low tide 98 · Very high Excellent
13 Sun 6% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:52 Sunset17:43 04:50 1.0 m high tide 10:50 -1.1 m low tide 17:10 1.1 m high tide 23:10 -1.0 m low tide 89 · High Excellent
14 Mon 12% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:51 Sunset17:44 05:20 0.9 m high tide 11:20 -1.0 m low tide 17:30 1.0 m high tide 23:40 -0.9 m low tide 76 · High Fair
15 Tue 19% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:50 Sunset17:44 05:40 0.8 m high tide 11:40 -0.8 m low tide 18:00 0.8 m high tide 62 · Average Fair
16 Wed 28% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:48 Sunset17:45 00:10 -0.8 m low tide 06:10 0.7 m high tide 12:10 -0.7 m low tide 18:20 0.7 m high tide 48 · Low Fair
17 Thu 37% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:47 Sunset17:45 00:30 -0.6 m low tide 06:30 0.5 m high tide 12:40 -0.5 m low tide 18:50 0.5 m high tide 33 · Low Fair
18 Fri 46% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:46 Sunset17:46 01:00 -0.5 m low tide 07:10 0.4 m high tide 13:10 -0.3 m low tide 19:20 0.3 m high tide 20 · Low Slow
19 Sat 55% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:45 Sunset17:46 01:40 -0.3 m low tide 07:50 0.2 m high tide 14:00 -0.2 m low tide 20:20 0.2 m high tide 21 · Low Slow
20 Sun 65% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:44 Sunset17:47 03:40 -0.2 m low tide 11:20 0.1 m high tide 17:50 -0.1 m low tide 34 · Low Fair
21 Mon 74% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:42 Sunset17:47 00:10 0.2 m high tide 06:50 -0.2 m low tide 13:20 0.3 m high tide 19:20 -0.3 m low tide 49 · Low Good
22 Tue 82% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:41 Sunset17:48 01:20 0.3 m high tide 07:40 -0.4 m low tide 13:50 0.5 m high tide 20:00 -0.4 m low tide 63 · Average Fair
23 Wed 89% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:40 Sunset17:48 02:00 0.5 m high tide 08:10 -0.6 m low tide 14:20 0.6 m high tide 20:30 -0.6 m low tide 76 · High Fair
24 Thu 94% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:39 Sunset17:49 02:30 0.6 m high tide 08:30 -0.7 m low tide 14:50 0.8 m high tide 21:00 -0.8 m low tide 88 · High Excellent
25 Fri 98% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:38 Sunset17:49 03:00 0.8 m high tide 09:00 -0.9 m low tide 15:20 1.0 m high tide 21:20 -0.9 m low tide 97 · Very high Excellent
26 Sat 100% illuminated · waxing Sunrise05:36 Sunset17:50 03:30 0.9 m high tide 09:30 -1.0 m low tide 15:40 1.1 m high tide 21:50 -1.0 m low tide 102 · Very high Excellent
27 Sun 99% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:35 Sunset17:50 03:50 1.0 m high tide 10:00 -1.0 m low tide 16:10 1.1 m high tide 22:20 -1.0 m low tide 102 · Very high Excellent
28 Mon 96% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:34 Sunset17:51 04:20 1.0 m high tide 10:20 -1.1 m low tide 16:40 1.1 m high tide 22:50 -1.0 m low tide 97 · Very high Excellent
29 Tue 91% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:33 Sunset17:51 04:50 0.9 m high tide 10:50 -1.0 m low tide 17:10 1.0 m high tide 23:20 -0.9 m low tide 87 · High Excellent
30 Wed 83% illuminated · waning Sunrise05:32 Sunset17:52 05:20 0.9 m high tide 11:30 -0.9 m low tide 17:40 0.9 m high tide 23:50 -0.8 m low tide 74 · High Fair

Biggest tides: 9–12 Sep (coef 103) · Quietest stretch: 18–19 Sep (coef 20) · Morning 36 · afternoon 31. Predicted levels run between -1.1 m and 1.1 m this month.

Heights are metres above the station's chart datum, so the biggest tides can dip just below zero. Every time shown is Richards Bay local time, with daylight saving already applied.

Nearby

Other tide stations close to Richards Bay, ranked by distance.

Fishing sites near Richards Bay

this station in gold · nearby stations in green

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

All KwaZulu-Natal locations

Durban KwaDukuza Port Shepstone Margate Ballitoville Scottburgh eMkhomazi eManzimtoti Port Edward Pennington La Mercy Mtunzini Hibberdene Southbroom Westbrook Sezela Saint Lucia Bluff Durban North Empembeni Enkovukeni Ifafa Beach Mabibi Macambini Mnamfu Mtwalume Nzalabantu Park Rynie Ranger Tugela Mouth

Frequently asked questions

Tides, coefficients and fishing times for Richards Bay, explained.

What time is high tide in Richards Bay today?

High water at Richards Bay today is at 07:30 and 20:00. The full list of high and low tide times is in the table above and refreshes every day.

Is today a good day to fish in Richards Bay?

Based on solunar theory the fishing rating today is Slow. The strongest windows are the major periods around the lunar transit, which often line up with sunrise and sunset.

What is the tidal coefficient and why does it matter?

The coefficient runs from 0 to 120 and measures the tidal range — today it is 31 (Low). Higher numbers mean stronger currents and a bigger gap between high and low water, which matters for fishing, diving and boating.

When are sunrise and sunset in Richards Bay today?

The sun rises at 06:03 and sets at 17:39 local time, giving 11h 36m of daylight.

What is the water temperature in Richards Bay today?

The sea surface at Richards Bay is around 22.3°C right now. Water temperature sets the pace of fish metabolism, so the hourly strip above is worth a glance — even a small shift can change where fish hold and how actively they feed.

How big are the waves in Richards Bay today?

The significant wave height at Richards Bay is currently 1.6 m with a period of 7.2 s between crests. Individual sets can stack up to roughly twice that height, so allow a margin at exposed marks and anchorages.

Data: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0) · CAMS · OpenStreetMap · GeoNames (CC BY 4.0) · FES2022 — CNES/AVISO/LEGOS · IP geolocation by DB-IP (CC BY 4.0)

Estimates for planning only — not for navigation or safety-critical use. · www.thetidechart.com/za/kwazulu-natal/richards-bay