Riet River Surf Break

Lat Long: 33.58° S 26.93° E

Riet River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 7 pm 24 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Riet River sea temperature is
18.3° C
1.6° 

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 24 Jul 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Wednesday 29 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 15s period, SSW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Tuesday 28 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 16s period, SSW swell with 4,185 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 25 Jul, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 14s 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 Saturday (Jul 25) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.2m and 14s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 8s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Riet River in the next 16 days are 3.0m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.5m 11s period and expected on Friday (Jul 31) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (SAST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Sat 25th Jul)7ft (2.2m) 14s
Best Surf 5AM (Wed 29th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 15s
Most Powerful 8AM (Tue 28th Jul)10ft (3.0m) 16s

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


The Lowdown

Alright, folks, Rusty here with the South African surf outlook. We're looking at Riet River, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag spread over the next two and a half weeks. This spot is an exposed point break that needs a solid SSW groundswell to fire, and when it gets it, it can be a thing of beauty. But it's inconsistent, so you gotta pick your moments.

Let’s get into it. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird going on there.

This Saturday morning, the 25th of July, looks like a worthy kick-off. We've got a 7ft SSW groundswell rolling in with a 14-second period, giving us a solid 1825 combined energy. That’s moderate energy, but more importantly, the wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW. That’s going to put a clean face on those waves. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers, the kind of morning that reminds you why you put up with the flat spells.

Sunday the 26th is a write-off with onshore winds and choppy conditions; don’t bother.

The following week gets a bit wild. Monday morning the 27th has some size at 8ft, but a 22 mph cross-offshore wind will be howling, making it super difficult to manage. That’s one for the kamikazes only. By Tuesday the 28th, we get a pulse of serious size – 10ft SSW swell with a very long 15-second period, pumping the combined energy up to 3669. That's strong energy. But the wind is directly onshore from the ESE, ruining it. For a point break, that long period groundswell is actually good news shape-wise, but the onshore wind kills it. The setup gets so big and onshore that it might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There's a gap of poor, small, or blown-out surf for several days after that, right through the end of the month and into the start of August.

Now, the standout is Sunday the 2nd of August. After a long dry spell, we get a beautiful little window. The morning is a bit meh, but the afternoon session is where it’s at. A clean 4ft SSW swell arrives with an incredibly long 18-second period, giving us a combined energy of 1274. The wind goes to a light cross-offshore breeze. That long-period swell will wrap beautifully around the point, offering long, lined-up walls. It’s excellent surf for experienced surfers. Because Riet River can be inconsistent, seeing it deliver like this is special. And that long period means clean, powerful lines.

The very end of the outlook gets interesting again. Friday the 7th of August is another top-tier call. The morning has an 8ft SSW swell with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is a meaty 2534. The wind is a clean cross-offshore breeze from the SW. This is big, powerful, and clean for experts. The afternoon holds 7ft with the same clean wind. Then on Sunday the 9th of August, we see a monster 12ft SSW swell with an 11-second period and 3229 combined energy, but with light cross-offshore winds. That's huge, deep-water energy. Too big for most, but for a confident crew on the right point, it’s a dream. Remember, this is still a long-range call, so it's promising but not locked in yet.

So if you're heading out, keep the 25th of July and the afternoon of the 2nd of August circled. And keep an eye on the 7th and 9th of August – those could be the real monsters if the wind plays ball.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Light rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 22°C on Sun afternoon, min 14°C on Fri night). Winds increasing (light winds from the SSE on Sat afternoon, fresh winds from the WSW by Mon morning).

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Mon night. Very mild (max 17°C on Mon night, min 13°C on Wed morning). Winds increasing (calm on Tue night, strong winds from the ENE by Thu afternoon).

Saturday
25
Sunday
26
Monday
27
Tuesday
28
Wednesday
29
Thursday
30
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
3
4
4
3
2
0
3
1
1
0
0
4
5
3
2
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)
2.3
SSW
14
2
SSW
14
2
SSW
13
2.2
SSW
13
2
SSW
12
1.7
SSW
12
1.1
SSW
14
2.3
SW
12
1.8
SSW
12
1.7
SSW
17
3
SSW
15
3
S
15
3
SSW
15
2.5
S
14
1.9
SSW
13
1.6
SSW
13
1.3
SSW
13
1.1
SSW
12
1.1
SSW
13
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
2230
1579
1346
1631
1163
782
485
1518
919
1736
3666
3428
3869
2507
1294
803
522
355
373
Wind (km/h)
15
N
15
WSW
5
SSE
15
NNE
15
NNE
20
NE
15
WNW
35
WSW
30
S
20
SSE
20
ESE
15
ESE
10
ESE
15
ENE
20
ENE
20
NE
35
NE
40
ENE
40
NE
Wind State
cross
cross-off
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
on
on
cross-on
cross-on
on
cross-on
High Tide
00:57AM1.11m
1:46PM1.07m
1:54AM1.19m
2:30PM1.17m
2:35AM1.29m
3:05PM1.28m
3:09AM1.38m
3:36PM1.38m
3:40AM1.45m
4:05PM1.47m
4:09AM1.50m
4:34PM1.54m
4:37AM1.52m
Low Tide
7:32AM0.54m
7:41PM0.58m
8:19AM0.44m
8:27PM0.48m
8:54AM0.33m
9:03PM0.38m
9:24AM0.24m
9:35PM0.30m
9:52AM0.15m
10:06PM0.24m
10:20AM0.09m
10:36PM0.20m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
rain showers
light rain
cloud
light rain
rain showers
rain showers
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
7:09
7:07
7:07
7:07
7:05
7:05
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:27
5:28
5:28
5:29
5:30
5:30
5:30
 mm
3
2
1
3
1
Temp °C
15
16
17
15
18
22
20
18
19
17
16
16
15
15
16
16
16
17
15
Feels °C
12
13
15
14
14
17
16
13
14
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
8
9
7
  • 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