East Pier (Port Alfred) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a weird one for East Pier. We’ve got a solid 16-day window from Thursday the 13th of August through to Friday the 28th, but it’s a real mixed bag of mostly average to poor conditions. The water temp is sitting right around average for this time of year out here at East Pier (Port Alfred), so no surprises there.

The first few days aren’t pretty. Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th are a write-off – strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy, messy surf. Saturday the 15th is the first glimmer of hope. Saturday morning we get a clean, cross-off breeze from the WSW and a 2 ft SW swell with a 14-second period. The combined energy is weak (211), but it’s the cleanest we’ve seen. Saturday afternoon goes glassy with an onshore ESE breeze, but the surf is marginal. Nothing worth paddling out for yet.

We hit a lull from Sunday the 16th through Tuesday the 18th – small, weak swells with cross-shore or cross-onshore winds. Just a lot of chop and no real drive.

Wednesday the 19th is our first real standout. Wednesday morning, we’ve got a 7 ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, clean cross-off wind from the SW, and moderate wave energy (1119). That’s a solid, grunty swell – a bit on the bigger side, so it’s more for the confident intermediate crew. Wednesday afternoon is even bigger, hitting 8 ft with a 11-second period and even cleaner conditions (1365 energy). The swell direction is SSW, which is bang on the optimum for this spot. This is the best on offer in the whole run – just a heads up, it’s a week out, so keep an eye on the forecast.

After that, Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st are messy again with onshore winds and choppy surf. The swell drops right off. Saturday the 22nd morning sees a clean 3 ft SSW swell with a long 15-second period, but the combined energy is moderate (924). It’s clean but the period is long, which can make the waves a bit too straight at a beach/pier setup like this. Still, worth a look if you’re keen. Sunday the 23rd is the next notable day – 7 ft SSW swell, 13-second period, clean cross-off wind, and strong energy (1387 in the morning, 1256 in the arvo). Again, big for the area, so this is for the experienced crew only.

The final week from Monday the 24th onwards is mostly poor – cross-onshore winds, small swell, and chop. The only flicker is Friday the 28th morning, where we get a 4 ft SSW swell with a 16-second period, glassy light onshore wind, and moderate energy (646). Marginal, but possibly a sneaky session if the tide works.

So, the standout is Wednesday the 19th into the arvo – that’s the one to circle. A close second is Sunday the 23rd. The rest? Mostly just waiting for the next pulse.

Rusty.

Read more