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: Thursday–Friday, 3–4 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

Thursday: Very warm and dry, but windy with a building 1.7–2.0 m modelled sea and approximately 1.1–1.2 m swell. Open-coast rocks, ledges and small-craft launching are marginal to poor; only consider genuinely sheltered water after a daylight local check.

Friday: A major deterioration is forecast. Rain is likely, gusts may become severe, and the marine model reaches approximately 3.7 m waves and 2.9 m swell. Postpone exposed shore fishing and small-craft launching.

THURSDAY — 3 SEPTEMBER 2026

WEATHER & MARINE

St Lucia Estuary: 22.0–32.7°C; clear; 0% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
St Lucia beach: 22.1–32.8°C; clear; 0% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Mapelane coast: 22.1–32.8°C; clear; 0% maximum rain probability; 0 mm expected.
Wind: approximately 17.1–27.6 km/h, variable through northerly directions in the hourly model; gusts up to approximately 52.6 km/h.
Waves: approximately 1.66–2.04 m, directions approximately east-northeast through southeast (64–141°), period 7.3–9.6 seconds.
Swell: approximately 1.06–1.22 m, directions approximately northeast through south (56–190°), period 5.8–11.6 seconds.

Marine/fishing assessment: POOR TO MARGINAL ON THE OPEN COAST. Wind and swell make exposed rocks, ledges and launching unsuitable for many anglers. A protected estuary or beach position may offer a limited opportunity only after a fresh local check.

TIDES — ST LUCIA REFERENCE

Low: 00:53 — -0.01 m
High: 06:55 — 1.23 m
Low: 13:01 — 0.03 m
High: 19:17 — 1.26 m

SUN, MOON & SOLUNAR PERIODS

Sunrise: 06:02 | Sunset: 17:37
Moonrise: — during 3 September (next rise 00:14 on 4 September) | Moonset: 09:38
Moon phase: Waning Gibbous, approximately 63.9% illuminated
Solunar activity rating: Average
Major period 1: 03:54–05:54 — lunar transit
Major period 2: 15:55–17:55 — opposing lunar period
Minor period 1: 09:08–10:08 — moonset
Minor period 2: 23:41–00:41 — moonrise (continues into Friday)

FISHING FOCUS

Shad/elf remain the main practical target where conditions are fishable, but Thursday’s wind and sea state should put safe access first. If a genuinely sheltered position is available, work bait and moving water conservatively. Garrick, kob and stumpies are possibilities around suitable current and structure, not verified catches for this exact day.

FRIDAY — 4 SEPTEMBER 2026

WEATHER & MARINE

St Lucia Estuary: 19.9–24.7°C; light drizzle possible; 74% maximum rain probability; approximately 0.5 mm expected.
St Lucia beach: 20.0–24.8°C; light drizzle possible; 74% maximum rain probability; approximately 0.5 mm expected.
Mapelane coast: 20.0–24.8°C; light drizzle possible; 74% maximum rain probability; approximately 0.5 mm expected.
Wind: approximately 9.0–36.5 km/h, turning from south/south-easterly through westerly directions; gusts up to approximately 73.4 km/h.
Waves: approximately 1.52–3.70 m, directions approximately east through southwest (81–205°), period 7.1–8.8 seconds.
Swell: approximately 0.44–2.86 m, directions approximately northeast through southwest (44–221°), period 4.6–11.3 seconds.

Marine/fishing assessment: VERY POOR — POSTPONE EXPOSED FISHING. Heavy gust potential and a rapidly building swell make exposed rocks, ledges, surf fishing and small-craft launching unsuitable. Reassess only in protected water after daylight if local conditions materially differ from the model.

TIDES — ST LUCIA REFERENCE

Low: 01:34 — 0.17 m
High: 07:37 — 1.05 m
Low: 13:44 — 0.25 m
High: 20:06 — 1.04 m

SUN, MOON & SOLUNAR PERIODS

Sunrise: 06:01 | Sunset: 17:37
Moonrise: 00:14 | Moonset: 10:30
Moon phase: Waning Gibbous, approximately 52.3% illuminated
Solunar activity rating: Average, but marine conditions override the astronomical planning signal
Major period 1: 04:23–06:23 — lunar transit (calculated)
Major period 2: 16:23–18:23 — opposing lunar period (calculated)
Minor period 1: 10:00–11:00 — moonset (calculated)
Minor period 2: 23:44–00:44 — moonrise (calculated; begins late Thursday)

FISHING FOCUS

Do not use the solunar windows to justify fishing dangerous exposed water. If conditions become genuinely safe in a protected location, shad and bait activity remain the practical focus, but the forecast gives no reliable basis for a species or catch guarantee. Postpone open-coast rocks, ledges and launching.

CURRENT PUBLIC FISHING OBSERVATIONS

A public 4u2Stay Maphelane Bay post reports anglers catching shad along the shoreline during an early-morning session. The fetched page does not display a publication date, so it is useful public context but not verified same-morning evidence for 3 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 current public search located a 13-hours-old Facebook result announcing a SADSAA U/21 captain associated with St Lucia, but the indexed snippet did not provide a current catch report or local conditions.
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.

Thursday’s solunar rating and periods are from the current Tideschart fishing-times guide. Friday’s periods 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

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Central Reservations
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081 342 7371
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PLANNING A ST LUCIA VISIT?

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

Bookings through our Central Commission Free System
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Email: 4u2Stay.sa@gmail.com
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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/

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