
Surf Forecasts:
Riet River surf forecast from 3 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 2AM (local time) - 8ft (2.5m), 15s period, SSW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 10 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 18ft (5.5m), 12s period, S swell with 8,197 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 4 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 11s 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 Tuesday (Aug 04) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 11s period. 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 5.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 10) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 10s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 04) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Tue 4th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 11s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Sat 8th Aug) | 8ft (2.5m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Mon 10th Aug) | 18ft (5.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riet River over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab your board and let’s talk about the next couple of weeks. It’s a mixed bag, so let’s get into it.
The window kicks off with a slow start. Monday afternoon the 3rd is pretty much a write-off – tiny, messy surf with water that’s running way colder than normal for this time of year. That’s a big red flag, so don’t expect much comfort out there. Tuesday stays lackluster, and honestly, we’re looking at a few days of small, weak waves until things start to wake up.
Wednesday the 5th morning, there’s a slight glimmer. It’s still small, around 3ft, but the wind is light and clean. It’s a hint of what’s to come, but nothing to get too excited about yet.
Then things start to build. Thursday the 6th brings a solid push of energy. The morning has some clean 5ft surf, but the afternoon jumps to a solid 8ft with a decent SSW swell. The wind is cross-off, so it should be holding shape. This is when it starts getting interesting for the more experienced crew.
Friday the 7th morning is a standout. We’ve got clean 6ft surf, light offshore wind, and the swell has some good energy behind it. This is the pick of the first week.
After that, the wind gets a bit tricky. The rest of the weekend sees some decent size, but the wind turns more cross-onshore, making things choppier. It’s not terrible, but it’s not as clean as that Friday morning.
Now, fast forward to Monday the 10th. The bottom drops out. We’ve got a serious storm pushing through with near-gale winds and a massive, messy swell. The wave heights balloon to 18ft, but it’s completely blown out. This is a write-off for surfing. This setup looks way more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.
That stormy mess carries into Tuesday the 11th, with huge, messy waves and strong winds. Stay out of the water unless you’re an expert on a big-wave gun and even then, it’s sketchy.
Wednesday the 12th brings a change. The wind swings offshore, but the swell is still huge – we’re talking 18ft to 20ft. This is far too big for this break, and only for a very select few. The energy is immense, but it’s not a practical option.
Thursday the 13th the swell starts to drop but it’s still solid, with a clean 11ft in the morning. This is another window for experienced surfers only.
Friday the 14th morning is the other true standout of this whole period. We’ve got clean 10ft surf, light offshore winds, and a good long-period SSW swell. This is powerful, organized, and beautiful. This is the one to aim for if you’ve got the skills.
After that, the energy fades. The following weekend drops back down to small, clean but weak waves. The wind is a bit cross-onshore, so the quality is just okay. The last few days of the window look pretty average, with a bit of size but mostly messy winds and poor conditions.
So, to sum it up: the best bets are Friday the 7th morning and Friday the 14th morning. The middle of the week is either blown out or way too big. Get on it if you can.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue afternoon, min 16°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Very mild (max 19°C on Thu afternoon, min 12°C on Sat morning). Winds increasing (calm on Thu night, strong winds from the WSW by Fri night). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | ||||||||||||||
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 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
357 | 292 | 282 | 232 | 205 | 140 | 233 | 1139 | 921 | 2323 | 1348 | 918 | 891 | 3075 | 1823 | 1295 | 784 | 1493 | 1338 | 760 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | glassy | cross-off | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | cross-off | off | cross-on | cross-on | off | cross-off | cross-off | off |
High Tide | 6:31PM1.55m | 6:40AM1.35m | 7:08PM1.47m | 7:21AM1.24m | 7:53PM1.37m | 8:14AM1.12m | 8:57PM1.25m | 9:44AM1.01m | 10:43PM1.17m | 11:58AM1.03m | 00:35AM1.23m | 1:27PM1.18m | 1:47AM1.35m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:43AM0.25m | 12:45PM0.21m | 1:24AM0.33m | 1:25PM0.32m | 2:16AM0.44m | 2:19PM0.45m | 3:35AM0.53m | 3:48PM0.56m | 5:34AM0.54m | 5:57PM0.56m | 7:11AM0.43m | 7:30PM0.44m | ||||||||
— | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | |
5:34 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:35 | — | — | 5:36 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | — | 5:37 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 23 | 19 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 24 | 27 | 25 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
Feels °C | 20 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 21 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 11 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 12 |
763 | 666 | 450 | 449 | 494 | 363 | 305 | 1139 | 921 | 2323 | 1348 | 918 | 706 | 3075 | 1823 | 1295 | 300 | 1493 | 1338 | 760 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 11 | SW 11 | SSW 14 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | E 10 | SSW 16 | E 9 | E 9 | SSE 7 | SSE 7 | SSW 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 |
357 | 292 | 282 | 232 | 205 | 140 | 233 | 214 | 149 | 118 | 89 | 298 | 62 | 62 | 147 | 41 | 784 | 246 | 193 | 243 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | — | — | S 19 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 11 | ENE 6 | — | — | SSW 18 | E 10 | ENE 7 | — | E 10 | — | SE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 9 |
3 | — | — | 7 | 26 | 123 | 110 | 49 | — | — | 180 | 90 | 5 | — | 65 | — | 16 | 9 | 9 | 12 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | WSW 4 | SSW 5 | — | — | — | SW 11 | — | — | ENE 5 | — | — | SW 4 | SSW 5 |
— | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | 32 | 49 | — | — | — | 891 | — | — | 76 | — | — | 15 | 57 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 142 | 16 | 5 | 125 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 124 | 123 | 123 | 16 | 0 | 162 | 0 | 16 | 123 | 0 | 110 | 167 | 0 |
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.











