East Pier (Port Alfred) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for our local patch.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s a couple of windows that are worth keeping an eye on. The first week is pretty grim with strong winds and messy conditions, but we do see a clean-up arriving later. The standout for the whole period looks to be that Tuesday the 25th, and a cheeky session on Saturday the 15th might just surprise a few of you.

First up, we have East Pier (Port Alfred). The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there. The first real chance to get wet comes on Saturday, August 15th. It’s not huge, with a clean 2.3ft SW swell pushing in. The wind swings WSW early, giving us a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy is moderate (211). It’s not firing, but it’s a proper calm session after the week’s blowout. The afternoon goes a bit glassy, but the swell drops off. The break can be inconsistent, so don’t expect a wave every minute.

We then hit a long patch of ordinary surf. From the 16th through the 19th, there’s small swell and tricky winds, keeping things mostly poor. Sunday the 16th afternoon has a clean 2ft wave but it’s very small. Monday the 17th morning goes glassy with 1.3ft SSW swell, which is pretty much flat but clean.

The real noise starts building on Friday, August 21st and into the weekend. The swell jumps to 5.9ft on Friday morning, building from the SSW with a 13-second period. The wind stays cross-off, so it’s clean. Combined energy is strong (1139). This is solid intermediate territory. By Saturday, August 22nd, we’re up to 6.9ft of SSW groundswell. That’s getting punchy. The morning has a light westerly, swinging lighter through the day. For the experienced crew, the Saturday afternoon session looks excellent: 6.9ft at 13 seconds, clean cross-off breeze, and solid energy (1509). This is the biggest clean swell of the first week.

Now, Sunday, August 23rd morning is a big red flag. We’ve got a massive 11.5ft SSW swell, but the forecast says it’s simply too big for this setup. The wind is also cross-shore and messy. This one is for the brave boys on the biggest boards, or more likely, just a day to watch from the beach. The energy is through the roof (2351), but it’s not a paddle-friendly day.

Our top pick, though, is the Tuesday, August 25th morning. The swell eases back to a muscular 5.6ft from the south, with a nice 13-second period. The wind is totally glassy – dead calm. This is as clean as it gets. The combined energy is strong (1088). For the experienced surfer, this is an absolute gem. The wave will have plenty of push, and with that direction, it’ll line up well. The afternoon is smaller and a little onshore, so hit it early.

After that, the winds get messy again on the 26th and 27th with short-period, junky swell, so that Tuesday morning window is the one to circle.

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