The best time to transit the South African coast is between November and January when the Indian High dominates and easterly winds blow along the south east coast.
The climate varies greatly between the coastal regions and inland, and also between the Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts. Generally, it can be described as temperate in the Cape area and tropical in the rest of the country.
The variable weather patterns are governed by the low and high-pressure systems moving across the Atlantic from South America and travelling eastwards at the eastern seaboard of the South African coast.
From April to August the low pressures system moves north and is prominent along the south coast bringing cold wet weather and strong W/NW winds.
The Indian High dominates the weather along the East Coast of SA. From September to March the Indian High moves South and generally there are strong Easterly winds along the East coast of SA.
The prevailing winds of summer are SE, replaced in winter by W or NW winds. Gales are frequent and in summer depressions come up from the Southern Ocean accompanied by cold gale force winds. Conditions are particularly bad when such gales blow against the SW flowing Agulhas current.
The Agulhas Current is one of the great ocean currents running mainly from north-east to south-west, following the 200m contour of the continental shelf and seaward thereof and dissipating over the Agulhas bank south of Mossel Bay. The current can run between 2-5 kts at its fastest point.
Cruisers who have made this crossing say to look for several high pressures south of Cape Town which usually give a rather stable pattern of good weather east of South Africa. This is not to say there will not be very gusty depressions from the south – they will come anyway.
The passage to Richards Bay a distance of about 1400NM from Reunion Island will take about 8-12 days. It takes around four days to reach the southern tip of Madagascar, keeping well out from the coast. The tricky part is to pass over the Mozambique Channel including the southbound Agulhas current – the wind has to come from the north too, if not, the waves can be very high. The wind shifts between north and south every second to fourth day and the shift comes very fast. The escape plan is to follow the wind north until it turns south again, then it’s time to cross over. See this report from Anna and Arthur Ericksson who crossed the Indian Ocean from Australia to South Africa in October 2023.
Indian Ocean Crossing: A tough route but well worth it.
This section of the SA coast is one of the most dangerous in the world. Sustained 25-30kts winds over a 24-36 hour period results in a wind against current situation which creates dangerous conditions, second only to the Grand Banks off Nova Scotia.
When transiting down the Mozambique channel there are a few important factors to consider. One is the Agulhas current running north to south and the other is the two prevailing wind directions. Combined, with polar fronts peeling off from the lower latitudes, sailors need to be prepared for short weather windows, dangerous seas and very limited safe havens.
Useful guidance reports:
For links to free global weather information, forecast services and extreme weather information see the Noonsite Weather Page.
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