East Pier (Port Alfred) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s shaping up for East Pier (Port Alfred).

Right now, things are looking pretty grim for the next few days. We’ve got a lot of wind and messy conditions in the forecast, so don’t get your hopes up for the first week. The water temperature is sitting at 64°, which is over a degree and a half colder than normal for this time of year – so you’ll be wanting a thicker wetsuit if you're heading out.

The outlook starts off flat and poor. Friday afternoon is a write-off with 8ft of bumpy, onshore slop, and the same story rolls through Saturday and Sunday with cross-onshore winds and lumpy waves. The combined energy is high – we’re talking values over 2000 and up to 4737 on Sunday afternoon – but it’s all wind-affected chop. Not surfable.

Monday the 7th is another no-go with strong cross-onshore winds, waves in the 7ft to 8ft range, and a messy surface. You’d be better off kiting than paddling that day. Tuesday morning the 8th is the first real glimmer of hope: a clean window with light offshore winds from the NNW, swell dropping to 4ft from the south with a nice 13-second period, and only 488 combined energy. It’s small but clean – and the break is inconsistent, so don’t expect much, but if you’re keen, that’s your best bet in the first week. Crowds are possible there sometimes.

After that, we hit a long flat spell. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are tiny – 2ft to 3ft – and mostly cross-onshore or weak. Not worth paddling out. Friday the 11th brings a small bump back up to 5ft from the SSW, but it’s marginal with cross-shore breeze. The weekend of the 12th and 13th gets big again – 10ft to 12ft – but coupled with strong onshore winds, it’s messy and blown out. Sunday the 13th morning cleans up with a cross-offshore wind, 7ft SSW swell at a very long 16 seconds, but it’s still a marginal call.

The standout? If you can wait, Tuesday morning the 15th looks promising: 7ft SSW swell at 11 seconds, light cross-shore breeze, and a score that suggests it’s worth the look. Clean conditions, moderate energy (1313). Then Wednesday and Thursday the 16th and 17th keep offering clean, cross-offshore mornings with 5ft to 6ft SSW swell – not huge, but workable.

The real highlight, though, is Friday the 18th morning. A solid 12ft SSW swell at 12 seconds is on the cards, with gentle onshore wind and favourable tides. That’s a big wave – expert territory – but if you’ve got the skills, it’ll be a proper session. Just be aware it’s too big for beginners. After that, Saturday the 19th gets blown out again.

So in short: the first week is mostly rubbish. Tuesday the 8th morning is your small clean window, and the second week offers more frequent clean mornings, with Tuesday the 15th and Friday the 18th as the standouts. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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