
Surf Forecasts:
Riet River surf forecast from 9 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 16 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 19s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 13 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 17s period, SSW swell with 2,164 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 10 Sep, 8AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 13s period with SW 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 Thursday (Sep 10) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Riet River in the next 16 days are 1.9m 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 3.5m 10s period and expected on Monday (Sep 14) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 10th Sep) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Wed 16th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 19s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Sun 13th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 17s |
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 the Riet River stretch.
The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of onshore wind and chop spoiling the party, but there are a couple of windows where the stars line up. The main show is a long-period groundswell, but it’s going to be a battle with the wind.
First up, a heads-up on the water temp. When we do get a wave, the water is sitting at 61°F, which is a full 6°F colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a very unusual chill, so you’ll want a thicker wetsuit.
The first real chance to get wet is late on Monday the 14th. The afternoon brings a light north-west breeze, going cross-offshore, and a 3ft SSW swell with a 13-second period. The combined energy is moderate (253). It’s nothing huge, but it’ll be clean. Tuesday the 15th morning is the real standout. The sun is out, the wind is WSW at 15 km/h and blowing offshore, grooming a 3ft SSW swell (12-second period, 215 energy). This is your best early bet. The break is a point, so it’ll handle that longer period nicely. Just know it’s inconsistent, so don’t expect a wave every minute.
The bigger swell starts to build from Wednesday the 16th. The morning shows a 4ft SSW swell at 16 seconds, with a south-southeast breeze. The combined energy jumps to a strong 1896, but the wind is cross-off. It’s clean but the period is very long, so this point break will be your friend. The swell continues to pick up into Thursday the 17th. Morning has a 8ft SSW swell (13 seconds) but the wind is light and cross. The combined energy is a beastly 2067. That’s expert territory, and it’s a bit messy with the cross-shore ripples. The afternoon cleans up nicely with a 7ft SSW swell and a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the SW. That’s the other standout for the experienced crew. For the rest of the first week, the wind is a problem. The waves are there, but the onshore and cross-onshore winds will make it choppy and blown out.
Into the second week, the outlook is more uncertain, but still a few things to keep an eye on. Sunday the 20th is a day for the hardcore. Both morning and afternoon have a 8ft and 8ft SW swell, but the wind is a strong 35 km/h from the west-southwest. It’s cross-offshore, so it might be clean, but that’s a lot of wind and a lot of water. The combined energy is over 2100 – that’s very strong. Only for experts. The following Monday the 21st sees the swell drop, but the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s poor. The real action fades out after that, with a week of mediocre, onshore-driven conditions.
Overall, the best windows are Tuesday the 15th morning for a small, clean, offshore wave, and Thursday the 17th afternoon for a bigger, cleaner groundswell for the experts. The rest is a windy, choppy grind.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri morning. Warm (max 31°C on Wed morning, min 18°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Wed afternoon, fresh winds from the SW by Thu afternoon). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 23°C on Mon morning, min 17°C on Mon night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the E on Sat night, light winds from the NW by Mon afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 11 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 19 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
97 | 118 | 172 | 172 | 518 | 947 | 613 | 511 | 414 | 223 | 242 | 2164 | 1511 | 1076 | 622 | 331 | 253 | 180 | 169 | 177 | 922 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | on | cross-on | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-off | off | off | cross | off |
High Tide | 2:52PM1.60m | 3:05AM1.55m | 3:25PM1.71m | 3:38AM1.60m | 3:57PM1.77m | 4:09AM1.62m | 4:27PM1.77m | 4:39AM1.59m | 4:55PM1.71m | 5:07AM1.53m | 5:22PM1.62m | 5:33AM1.44m | 5:47PM1.49m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:38AM0.13m | 9:04PM0.12m | 9:12AM0.03m | 9:37PM0.03m | 9:42AM-0.03m | 10:08PM-0.00m | 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 | |||||||
6:20 | — | — | 6:18 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
— | 5:59 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:02 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 31 | 31 | 28 | 21 | 22 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 23 | 23 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 19 |
Feels °C | 29 | 30 | 25 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 20 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SW 13 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | E 9 | E 10 | E 11 | E 10 | E 10 | SW 11 |
374 | 329 | 172 | 287 | 222 | 947 | 613 | 511 | 414 | 223 | 204 | 2164 | 1511 | 1076 | 622 | 1567 | 1618 | 1412 | 666 | 431 | 471 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 11 | SSW 14 | SE 10 | SW 13 | SSW 16 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSW 15 | SE 12 | — | — | — | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | ENE 9 |
97 | 118 | 23 | 172 | 518 | 177 | 149 | 116 | 48 | 44 | 242 | 6 | — | — | — | 331 | 253 | 180 | 169 | 177 | 348 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 10 | SW 11 | — | SSE 9 | SW 12 | SSW 5 | SSW 5 | SE 12 | SE 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SW 7 | SSW 19 |
55 | 57 | — | 8 | 181 | 21 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 44 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 922 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 9 | WSW 5 | SW 6 | — | — | SSE 6 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 9 | ENE 9 | — | — | WSW 7 | — | — |
— | — | 322 | 66 | 112 | — | — | 48 | 80 | 159 | 360 | 756 | 809 | 778 | 855 | 1283 | — | — | 46 | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 4 | 135 | 5 | 190 | 123 | 0 | 111 | 369 | 161 | 368 | 369 | 329 | 161 | 369 | 142 | 123 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Eastern Cape (South) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.










