Fishing Report SA
KZN South Coast Region 3
Lower South Coast: Shelly Beach to Margate
KZN South Coast Region 3 Fishing & Weather Report — 16–17 September 2026
Representative location: Shelly Beach, KwaZulu-Natal
Coverage: Shelly Beach, Uvongo, Margate and the Lower South Coast between Shelly Beach and Margate
Issued: Wednesday, 16 September 2026 at 05:00 SAST
Overall outlook
A deteriorating two-day marine and weather window is forecast. Wednesday is warm but windy, with a strong southwesterly component, rising seas and showers possible. Thursday is much cooler, with a high probability of heavy rain and thunderstorms, strong winds and significantly larger swell. Treat both days as poor for exposed shore fishing and potentially unsafe for small craft; reassess against official warnings and local conditions.
Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Weather & Marine
Temperature: 15.3–25.4°C
Rain: 63% maximum probability; about 0.6 mm modelled.
Wind: predominantly southwest (about 223°), up to 34 km/h with gusts near 69.5 km/h.
Waves and swell: maximum wave about 2.14 m from east-southeast (116°), period 9.6 s; swell about 1.64 m from east (98°), period 7.9 s.
Assessment: windy and building; exposed rocks, ledges and small-craft operations require particular caution.
Solunar Times
Activity rating: Average.
Major: 02:29–04:29 and 14:59–16:59
Minor: 08:10–09:10 and 22:49–23:49
Sunrise / sunset: 05:56 / 17:52
Moonrise / moonset: 08:40 / 23:19
Moon phase: Waxing crescent, approximately 27% illuminated according to the tide table.
Tides — Shelly Beach
Low 00:01 (-0.09 m) · High 06:03 (1.22 m) · Low 12:04 (-0.02 m) · High 18:14 (1.25 m)
Fishing Focus
If conditions are locally safe, the 06:03 high and 14:59–16:59 major period are the useful daylight references. Shad can be considered around moving water and structure, with garrick, kingfish or kob only conditional possibilities. Avoid exposed ledges and do not launch or fish offshore solely on this forecast.
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Weather & Marine
Temperature: 15.4–17.9°C
Rain: 100% maximum probability; about 70.5 mm modelled. Thunderstorm risk is included in the weather code.
Wind: predominantly southwest (about 221°), up to 33 km/h with gusts near 60.1 km/h.
Waves and swell: maximum wave about 3.36 m from southeast (149°), period 9.1 s; swell about 2.84 m from south-southeast (161°), period 7.8 s.
Assessment: very poor marine window; heavy rain, strong gusts and large swell make exposed shore fishing and small-craft activity unsafe without a new local assessment.
Solunar Times
Activity rating: Average, but weather and sea state override the solunar timing.
Major: 03:51–05:51 and 15:49–17:49
Minor: 08:53–09:53 and 23:49–00:49 (continues into 18 September)
Sunrise / sunset: 05:55 / 17:52
Moonrise / moonset: 09:23 / 00:19 (moonset continues into 18 September)
Moon phase: Waxing crescent, approximately 36% illuminated according to the tide table.
Tides — Shelly Beach
Low 00:28 (0.04 m) · High 06:29 (1.09 m) · Low 12:29 (0.14 m) · High 18:37 (1.09 m)
Fishing Focus
No fishing opportunity should be inferred from the 15:49–17:49 major period while the model predicts heavy rain, gale-force gusts and 3.36 m waves. Wait for conditions to settle and check official warnings, beach conditions and access before targeting shad, garrick or kob.
Current public fishing observations
- The accessible Kingfisher public reports index checked on 16 September still lists 27 August 2026 as its newest KZN fishing report.
- Kingfisher's general South Coast guidance identifies garrick as a major attraction, with kingfish and shad offering sport from beaches and rocky points, but this is not a current Shelly Beach–Margate catch log.
- Current searches returned no independently verifiable, town-specific Shelly Beach–Margate catch, netting, sardine or fish-sales report for this run. Search results were mainly general tourism, property, event and tide material.
- No current public sales locations or prices were verified.
Sources and limitations
Weather values are a Shelly Beach point forecast from Open-Meteo; waves and swell are from its Marine Weather API. Tides, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset, moon phase and solunar periods are from the public Shelly Beach Tideschart fishing table.
Forecast grids can differ from conditions at a particular beach, reef, point or launch. Wave height is modelled and does not describe every breaking wave. The Open-Meteo forecast and Tideschart values differ by a few minutes for some astronomical times; figures are reported by source rather than reconciled as measured observations.
No live buoy, beach patrol, launch-master or official local observation was available. This report is not an official warning. Check South African Weather Service alerts and local conditions before making any fishing or boating decision.
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