Surf Forecasts:
Riet River surf forecast from 3 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 6 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 18s period, SSW swell with 5,344 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period with SSW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Riet River this week:
The surf forecast for Riet River over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 11AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Riet River in the next 16 days are 3.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riet River over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Riet River.
We’re looking at a pretty tough run of conditions for the next couple of weeks. There’s plenty of swell, but the wind is going to be a real problem most of the time. The first real chance for a decent surf doesn’t come until Tuesday the 8th of September, and even then it’s only small. From the 3rd right through until the morning of the 8th, it’s mostly a write-off with strong onshore and cross-onshore winds making a mess of things. That’s a solid five days of poor surf.
The standout window is shaping up for the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. The wind goes glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph, and we’ve got a clean 4 ft SSW swell rolling in with a 13-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 455, but the real story here is the perfect, glassy surface. It’s going to be clean, and the swell direction is bang on what this point wants. The water is sitting at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.
After that, the 9th of September looks promising too. Wednesday morning has a light offshore N wind at 6 mph with a clean 2 ft SSW swell on a 15-second period (290 energy). That’s a long-period groundswell, which will suit this point break nicely. The afternoon gets even better, with a glassy calm and 3 ft of swell. Both of these are small, but clean and rideable.
The next real highlight doesn’t come until Wednesday the 16th of September. That morning brings a clean, cross-off SW wind at 9 mph with a solid 6 ft SSW swell at 14 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1458, and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is for the more skilled crew, as that swell is pushing 7 ft and will have some punch. The afternoon holds up at 6 ft, still clean.
Keep in mind, Riet River is an inconsistent break, so when it’s on, it’s worth the effort. The crowds are listed as "sometimes", so you might get it to yourself on a weekday.
That’s the long and short of it. The 8th and 9th of September are your best bets for clean, small waves, and the 16th of September is the one for the bigger, more powerful session.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 21mm), heaviest during Thu night. Warm (max 21°C on Thu morning, min 15°C on Fri afternoon). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the E on Thu morning, strong winds from the SSE by Thu night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Tue morning, min 17°C on Sun morning). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the ENE on Sun night, calm by Tue morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSE 7 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 789 | 398 | 2337 | 2177 | 1353 | 604 | 431 | 485 | 469 | 1424 | 2810 | 4034 | 1613 | 1091 | 617 | 424 | 292 | 180 | 181 | 233 | 249 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | on | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:19PM1.32m | 7:44AM1.10m | 8:26PM1.15m | 9:34AM0.98m | 10:52PM1.07m | 12:18PM1.05m | 00:48AM1.17m | 1:30PM1.24m | 1:47AM1.32m | 2:15PM1.43m | 2:29AM1.45m | 2:52PM1.60m | 3:05AM1.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:55PM0.35m | 1:41AM0.46m | 1:50PM0.51m | 3:08AM0.59m | 3:49PM0.65m | 5:46AM0.59m | 6:29PM0.58m | 7:13AM0.43m | 7:41PM0.41m | 8:01AM0.27m | 8:26PM0.24m | 8:38AM0.13m | 9:04PM0.12m | ||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  | |  | | | | |  | |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:28 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — |
 | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:55 | — | — | 5:57 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:58 | — | — | 5:59 | — |
mm | 1 | 6 | 13 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 21 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 33 | 33 | 20 |
Feels °C | 21 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 31 | 33 | 19 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SW 12 | E 9 | ENE 10 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 10 | SSW 10 | SSW 20 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | E 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 789 | 393 | 39 | 131 | 1353 | 604 | 431 | 485 | 469 | 314 | 2810 | 4034 | 1613 | 1091 | 617 | 661 | 540 | 542 | 484 | 422 | 366 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 6 | E 8 | — | ENE 10 | SW 10 | WSW 11 | WSW 11 | ENE 10 | SSW 22 | SW 10 | — | SSE 14 | S 12 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | SW 13 |
| kJ | 37 | 24 | 50 | — | 140 | 120 | 78 | 45 | 34 | 1424 | 122 | — | 61 | 174 | 13 | 424 | 292 | 180 | 109 | 233 | 249 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 8 | — | WSW 12 | S 16 | S 14 | — | WSW 11 | SW 26 | S 13 | S 13 | — | — | — | — | SSW 18 | SSE 10 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 10 | SE 10 |
| kJ | — | 36 | — | 131 | 20 | 200 | — | 23 | 27 | 14 | 225 | — | — | — | — | 31 | 31 | 53 | 181 | 49 | 4 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 5 | SSE 7 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 9 | ENE 10 | ESE 8 | E 7 | E 7 | E 5 | E 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | — | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
| kJ | 65 | 398 | 2337 | 2177 | 1010 | 51 | 345 | 277 | 128 | 142 | 256 | 773 | 1313 | 1622 | 1232 | — | 697 | 784 | — | 566 | 601 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 88 | 243 | 1830 | 1231 | 837 | 361 | 567 | 781 | 239 | 386 | 567 | 372 | 329 | 386 | 16 | 0 | 135 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 123 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Riet River Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Riet River provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Riet River can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Riet River surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Riet River) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Riet River may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in Eastern Cape (South)? If you are looking for accommodation near Riet River, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in Eastern Cape (South), consider staying in Port Alfred which is 5 km (3 miles) away. Other places in and around Eastern Cape (South) where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Grahamstown which is 48 km (30 miles) away, Bisho and Fort Beaufort.
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