Riet River Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.58° S 26.93° E

Riet River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 am 12 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Riet River sea temperature is
15.8°C
3.5° 

Riet River surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Riet River surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 11s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.8m), 17s period, SSW swell with 1,907 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 14 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 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 Monday (Sep 14) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m 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 1.8m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 13) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 4.0m 9s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 2PM (Mon 14th Sep)3.5ft (1.0m) 13s
Best Surf11PM (Tue 15th Sep)5ft (1.5m) 11s
Most Powerful 2AM (Sun 13th Sep)6ft (1.8m) 17s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riet River over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s check what’s brewing for Riet River.

Right now, it’s a mess of onshore wind and junk, so don’t bother for the next couple of days. The first real chance to get wet doesn’t come until Monday afternoon, September 14th. Before that, it’s pretty much a blank – almost two days with nothing worth paddling for.

Monday, September 14th is your window. The afternoon brings a light cross-offshore breeze out of the southwest at just 3 mph, cleaning the surface right up. The swell drops to 3ft from the SSW, with a period of 13 seconds. That’s a solid groundswell that’ll wrap into the point nicely. The combined energy is moderate at 307. This is the standout session – clean, lined-up waves, hardly any wind. Riet River is an exposed point break that loves a SSW swell. It’s inconsistent, so expect gaps between sets, but the waves that come through will be worth the wait. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

Tuesday morning, September 15th keeps things tidy. A light offshore from the WSW at 12 mph cleans up a smaller 3ft SSW swell (period 11 seconds). The combined energy is weak at 180, but the conditions will be glassy. Not a big-wave day, but fine for a smaller board or a longboard.

Wednesday morning, September 16th brings a size bump. Swell hits 7ft from the SW, period 10 seconds. Combined energy is strong at 1495. The wind is cross-offshore from the WSW at 12 mph, keeping it clean. This is getting into solid intermediate territory – too big for beginners. The shorter period means it’ll be a bit more sectiony on the point, but there’ll be some heavy ones.

After that, the wind turns onshore and the quality tanks. There’s a cleaner-looking window around September 25th with a cross-offshore breeze and a 6ft swell from the ESE (combined energy 819), but that’s over a week away and the direction isn’t ideal for Riet River’s preferred SSW. Worth a late check, but far from certain.

Best bet: Monday afternoon, September 14th. Clean, glassy, and lined up. That’s the one to circle.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Sat morning. Warm (max 23°C on Mon afternoon, min 17°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Sun morning, calm by Mon afternoon).

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Heavy rain (total 44mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 23°C on Tue afternoon, min 14°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, fresh winds from the SSE by Wed night).

Saturday
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
3
3
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.1
SW
11
0.8
SSW
15
1.8
SSW
17
1.8
SSW
16
1.6
SSW
15
1.3
SSW
14
1.1
SSW
13
1
SSW
13
0.9
SSW
12
0.8
SSW
11
1.1
SW
11
1.8
SW
11
2.1
SW
10
1.6
SW
12
3.5
SE
8
3
SE
9
2.5
SSE
9
2.2
SE
9
1.4
SSW
11
1.4
SW
12
1.5
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
293
252
1907
1634
1091
649
427
307
222
160
263
738
990
722
1583
1207
1145
749
492
578
808
Wind (km/h)
20
ENE
30
ENE
40
E
45
E
40
E
35
NE
20
NE
5
SW
25
WSW
15
WSW
20
S
10
SSW
20
WSW
20
S
40
SSE
25
SSE
25
SE
25
SE
20
ESE
30
SE
35
SE
Wind State
on
on
on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
cross-on
High Tide
4:27PM1.77m
4:39AM1.59m
4:55PM1.71m
5:07AM1.53m
5:22PM1.62m
5:33AM1.44m
5:47PM1.49m
5:59AM1.33m
6:12PM1.35m
6:24AM1.21m
6:37PM1.21m
6:51AM1.07m
7:06PM1.06m
Low Tide
10:12AM-0.04m
10:37PM0.01m
10:40AM-0.00m
11:05PM0.06m
11:07AM0.07m
11:31PM0.14m
11:33AM0.18m
11:56PM0.25m
11:59AM0.30m
00:22AM0.38m
12:25PM0.44m
00:51AM0.51m
12:54PM0.59m
1:34AM0.65m
light rain
part cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
light rain
rain showers
cloud
light rain
rain showers
clear
part cloud
cloud
light rain
heavy rain
light rain
cloud
cloud
light rain
light rain
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:16
6:15
6:13
6:11
6:11
6:09
6:07
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:00
6:01
6:01
6:02
6:04
6:04
6:05
 mm
3
2
4
1
4
1
4
1
1
38
4
3
2
1
Temp °C
19
20
19
18
19
20
21
23
19
22
23
19
18
17
16
16
17
17
15
17
17
Feels °C
18
18
14
12
14
17
20
26
21
19
19
19
15
15
14
11
11
12
11
11
11
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Riet River:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Riet River surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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.

Nearest locationNearest