East Pier (Port Alfred) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, folks, let's get into it. The next couple of weeks at East Pier (Port Alfred) are a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that will get the blood pumping. The water is sitting at 63°F which is much colder than normal for this time of year, so you'll want a decent steamer.

The first few days are pretty average. The weekend of the 29th and 30th is a write-off with poor conditions and marginal surf. The morning of the 29th has a clean 3ft swell from the south, but a moderate NNW breeze makes it cross-off and the combined energy is weak (295). It's not worth paddling out for.

Now, Monday the 31st of August is where things start to look up. The morning is your first real standout. We've got a glassy 5ft swell from the southwest with a moderate 11-second period and combined energy of 516. The wind is a light easterly, absolutely glassy, clean as a whistle. This is a perfect session for an intermediate surfer – the conditions are about as good as it gets for this spot.

Tuesday the 1st of September morning is also a very good option. Clean, 5ft of SW swell, 12-second period, and a light SW breeze keeping it cross-off. The energy is up to 549, so there's a bit more push. It's another great opportunity for a clean session.

Things get a bit wild on Wednesday the 2nd of September. The morning sees a massive 10ft SSW groundswell with a 13-second period and a huge 2598 energy reading. That's a lot of power, and the forecast says it's simply too big for East Pier. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, it's risky. The afternoon drops to 8ft but picks up a strong cross-onshore wind, making it a mess.

The next real highlight is Thursday the 3rd of September morning. The swell drops back to a clean 5ft from the SW with a 12-second period, and a light NW wind keeps it cross-off. The energy is a solid 1072. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – clean, punchy, and well-shaped. This is your second standout.

After that, the window closes. From Friday the 4th through to the 10th, it's mostly poor conditions with strong onshore winds or messy cross-off breezes. There's a brief, clean morning on the 10th with a tiny 3ft swell, but it's very ordinary.

The 11th of September morning offers a glassy, clean 3ft from the south with a 10-second period, but it's small. The real kicker comes on the weekend of the 12th and 13th of September. The afternoon of the 12th sees a glassy 10ft SW swell with a 10-second period and 1944 energy. The morning of the 13th is similar, with a clean 10ft SW swell and 11-second period, energy at 2091. Both of these are again predicted to be too big for this break, so only for the brave and skilled.

In short, your best bets are the morning of Monday the 31st of August and the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September. Those are the perfect windows. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too big for the pier.

Rusty.

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