ST LUCIA ESTUARY, ST LUCIA BEACH & MAPELANE COAST

2-DAY WEATHER, MARINE & FISHING REPORT

Coverage: St Lucia Estuary, St Lucia beach/open coast and the Mapelane coast.

Forecast window: Tuesday–Wednesday, 1–2 September 2026.

Representative model points: St Lucia weather grid near -28.3656, 32.3837; beach/Mapelane marine grid near -28.5417, 32.4583.

OVERALL OUTLOOK

Tuesday: Warm and mostly cloudy with a low rain signal. The sea is comparatively moderate, with approximately 1.2–1.5 m modelled waves and light-to-moderate wind. This is the better practical day of the two for carefully selected fishing, subject to local checks.

Wednesday: Hotter and clear, with a similar moderate modelled sea state. Northerly wind and local currents still matter; do not treat a low swell model as a guarantee of safe surf, rocks or launching.

TUESDAY — 1 SEPTEMBER 2026

WEATHER & MARINE

St Lucia Estuary: 18.1–28.3°C; partly cloudy; 8% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
St Lucia beach: 18.2–28.4°C; partly cloudy; 8% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Mapelane coast: 18.2–28.4°C; partly cloudy; 8% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Wind: approximately 1.0–18.9 km/h, shifting from south-westerly/south (around 203°) toward north/north-north-easterly (around 21°); gusts up to approximately 40 km/h.
Waves: approximately 1.24–1.46 m, mainly east-southeast to east-southeast/east (98–130°), period 7.2–8.5 seconds.
Swell: approximately 0.70–1.04 m, mainly east to southeast (91–150°), period 7.0–7.8 seconds.

Marine/fishing assessment: FAIR TO GOOD IN SUITABLE WATER. The lower modelled sea state gives the better window, but beach shorebreak, rip currents, rocks and the estuary mouth must be inspected locally.

TIDES — ST LUCIA REFERENCE

High: 05:51 — 1.50 m
Low: 11:56 — -0.29 m
High: 18:10 — 1.60 m

SUN, MOON & SOLUNAR PERIODS

Sunrise: 06:04 | Sunset: 17:36
Moonrise: 21:59 | Moonset: 08:15
Moon phase: Waning Gibbous, approximately 83–84% illuminated
Solunar activity rating: Average
Major period 1: 01:34–03:34 — lunar transit
Major period 2: 14:06–16:06 — opposing lunar period
Minor period 1: 07:44–08:44 — moonset
Minor period 2: 21:29–22:29 — moonrise

FISHING FOCUS

Target shad/elf around first light, bait and moving water, using suitable bait or lures from a clearly safe beach or structure. Garrick and kob remain possible around deeper water and current lines, but they are not verified as a current catch at these exact venues. In the estuary, work current edges conservatively and do not assume the mouth is open, deep or safe without an on-site check.

WEDNESDAY — 2 SEPTEMBER 2026

WEATHER & MARINE

St Lucia Estuary: 19.9–30.8°C; clear; 0% rain probability; 0 mm expected.
St Lucia beach: 20.0–30.9°C; clear; 0% rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Mapelane coast: 20.0–30.9°C; clear; 0% rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Wind: approximately 7.7–18.6 km/h, mainly north-north-easterly to north (around 16° turning toward 1°); gusts up to approximately 39 km/h.
Waves: approximately 1.26–1.50 m, from east through southeast (83–158°), period 7.0–9.8 seconds.
Swell: approximately 0.66–1.18 m, from east through south (94–191°), period 5.6–10.5 seconds.

Marine/fishing assessment: FAIR TO GOOD IN SHELTERED OR CAREFULLY SELECTED WATER. The forecast is warm and dry, but northerly wind can affect the beach and headlands; reassess actual shorebreak, current and access after daylight.

TIDES — ST LUCIA REFERENCE

Low: 00:19 — -0.16 m
High: 06:22 — 1.39 m
Low: 12:26 — -0.15 m
High: 18:41 — 1.45 m

SUN, MOON & SOLUNAR PERIODS

Sunrise: 06:03 | Sunset: 17:36
Moonrise: 23:06 | Moonset: 08:53
Moon phase: Waning Gibbous, approximately 74–75% illuminated
Solunar activity rating: Average
Major period 1: 02:29–04:29 — lunar transit
Major period 2: 14:29–16:29 — opposing lunar period
Minor period 1: 08:23–09:23 — moonset
Minor period 2: 22:36–23:36 — moonrise

FISHING FOCUS

Continue with shad/elf as the most practical shore target around bait, wash and the moving tide. Fish low-risk access points first; explore current lines or structure only if the water is demonstrably safe. Garrick, kob, stumpies and other species are possibilities, not verified forecasts or catch guarantees.

CURRENT PUBLIC FISHING OBSERVATIONS

A public 4u2Stay Maphelane Bay post says the bay was coming alive early, with anglers catching shad along the shoreline. The fetched page does not display a publication date, so this is useful public context but not verified same-morning evidence for 1 September.
The North Coast Courier FishEagle report dated 20 August 2026 said shad remained the main target for early-morning surf anglers, with 1–2 kg fish and larger reports from Tugela Mouth. It also reported plentiful garrick from Margate to Richards Bay and a variety of catches in the St Lucia Queens of the Ocean tournament.
The public Go Fish Zululand Classic listing advertised St Lucia fishing activity and more than R120,000 in prizes, but it is an event notice rather than a catch report.
Current status: no independently verified same-morning catch log specifically for St Lucia Estuary, St Lucia beach or Mapelane was found in the public results checked for this run.

NETTING, SIGHTINGS, SALES LOCATIONS & PRICES

Netting: no verified current netting report for the three requested locations was found.

Fish sightings: the public Maphelane observation reports shad catches; no current species count or size breakdown is independently verified here.

Sales locations: no verified current bait or fish-sale location was found in the checked public sources.

Prices: no current verified fish, bait or tackle prices were found; no price is published.

SOURCE LIMITATIONS

Weather and rainfall figures are Open-Meteo model guidance. All three requested weather areas resolve to the same nearby model grid cell, so small local differences are not represented. Wave and swell values are Open-Meteo marine-model estimates, not live buoy observations; the beach and Mapelane requests resolve to a regional offshore grid point rather than a specific surf zone or launch.

Tides are Tideschart predictions for St Lucia used as a common reference. Actual estuary levels, currents, sandbars and mouth conditions can differ locally. Moon and sun values are astronomical calculations for the St Lucia area.

The Tuesday solunar windows and Average rating are from the Tideschart fishing-times guide. Wednesday’s windows are calculated around the astronomical lunar transit, opposing period, moonset and moonrise. Solunar periods do not guarantee fish activity.

Public observations are anecdotal, may be delayed or incomplete, and are not live catch verification. No live estuary level, flow, salinity, water temperature, mouth status or official same-morning catch bulletin was available. Check current sea state, rip currents, shorebreak, access and official warnings before fishing or launching. Follow current size, bag and seasonal regulations.

BOOKING CONTACTS

Activity Bookings
+27 60 968 3841

Charter Bookings
+27 81 342 7371

Brought to you by 4u2Stay
Central Reservations
Let Your Holiday Find You
Petrus Viviers
081 342 7371
4u2Stay.sa@gmail.com

PLANNING A ST LUCIA VISIT?

Contact 4u2Stay for accommodation, activities and local booking assistance.

Bookings through our Central Commission Free System
4u2Stay Let Your Holiday Find You
WhatsApp: +27 60 968 3841
Email: 4u2Stay.sa@gmail.com
www.4u2Stay.co.za

SAFETY & INFORMATION NOTICE

This Fishing Report SA publication provides fishing, marine conditions and weather predictions for planning purposes. It is compiled from multiple publicly available weather and marine data sources. Conditions can change rapidly. It is not an official South African Weather Service warning and must not replace professional weather advice or local safety decisions.

For the full official weather forecast, updates and warnings, visit the South African Weather Service:
https://www.weathersa.co.za/

Accommodation Establishment Listing
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