
Surf Forecasts:
Riet River surf forecast from 10 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 17 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 11 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 11s period, S swell with 2,118 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 16 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 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 Sunday (Aug 16) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m 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 3.0m 11s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Aug 11) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Aug 13) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (SAST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sun 16th Aug) | 2ft (0.6m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5PM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 11th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Riet River over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – we’re looking at a patchy 16-day window for Riet River. There's some serious size on the way, but the conditions are gonna be a battle for most of it.
We start off with a bit of a wait. The first few days into mid-August are a write-off, with onshore winds and messy, poor surf. The water is sitting at 62°, which is a solid 5° colder than normal for this time of year, so you're gonna feel that chill.
The first time things start looking half-decent is on Monday the 17th, with some cleaner conditions in the afternoon. We get a 3ft SSW swell, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSW making for clean faces. The energy is moderate at 322, but it's small and inconsistent, so don't get your hopes up for anything cracking.
The real standout of the whole run looks set for Tuesday the 18th. The morning is small but the afternoon goes glassy. A 4ft SSW groundswell with a period of 13 seconds and absolutely glassy conditions from the south-west. It’ll be clean as a whistle. Combined energy is moderate at 455, so it's not super powerful, but the lack of wind is the big win. This is the one to pencil in for a proper session.
After that, the wind stays offshore for a bit through Wednesday the 19th, with a 5ft swell in the afternoon and clean conditions, but the long period (12 seconds) will make it a bit walled-off at a beach setup like this, needing a bank to work.
Then we hit the big stuff. Thursday the 20th of August sees a jump to a 10ft ESE swell – that's expert territory over 8ft. The energy is strong at 1805, but the wind is light cross-onshore. That's pushing the limits for paddle surfing here.
The real monster hits on Friday the 21st of August. We're talking a 23ft ESE swell with a massive energy reading of 22190. The wind is onshore and howling at 31 mph from the ENE. That is blown to pieces. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It's a no-go for us.
The weekend of the 22nd-23rd sees the swell drop from 16ft down to 8ft, with clean cross-offshore winds from the SW. The 16ft on Saturday morning is still massive and for experts only. By Sunday afternoon, the 8ft SW swell is more manageable, but it's a short period of 9 seconds, meaning weaker, less organized waves and a cross-shore chop.
After that, it's back to the same old story for the last few days of the month – onshore winds and poor surf conditions with moderate energy swells. The wind is just going to mess it up.
So, bottom line: The standouts are minimal. Aim for Tuesday the 18th in the afternoon for the cleanest, most user-friendly waves. The big swells on the 20th and 21st are for experts only or best left for the kite crew. Keep your eyes on the sky and the wind.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Very mild (max 18°C on Wed afternoon, min 14°C on Mon afternoon). Winds increasing (moderate winds from the SSE on Mon afternoon, strong winds from the ENE by Wed afternoon). | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sat afternoon, min 15°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (strong winds from the NE on Thu night, light winds from the ENE by Sat afternoon). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 10 | Tuesday 11 | Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | ||||||||||||||
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 11 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | ESE 8 | SSW 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
1087 | 1864 | 1622 | 1071 | 667 | 419 | 615 | 721 | 818 | 913 | 717 | 392 | 382 | 268 | 208 | 183 | 167 | 120 | 120 | 92 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | off |
High Tide | 2:23PM1.35m | 2:38AM1.47m | 3:07PM1.52m | 3:21AM1.57m | 3:47PM1.65m | 3:59AM1.62m | 4:23PM1.73m | 4:34AM1.62m | 4:57PM1.75m | 5:08AM1.58m | 5:30PM1.71m | 5:39AM1.51m | 6:01PM1.62m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:29PM0.29m | 8:55AM0.14m | 9:15PM0.16m | 9:33AM0.03m | 9:56PM0.07m | 10:08AM-0.04m | 10:33PM0.04m | 10:41AM-0.05m | 11:07PM0.05m | 11:12AM-0.02m | 11:40PM0.10m | 11:42AM0.06m | 00:10AM0.19m | |||||||
— | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | |
5:38 | — | — | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:42 | — | — | 5:43 | — | |
mm | 4 | 6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 14 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 22 | 26 | 28 | 24 | 28 | 30 | 19 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 26 | 17 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | S 11 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 19 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 11 | E 12 | E 12 | E 11 |
1087 | 1864 | 1622 | 1071 | 512 | 331 | 303 | 721 | 818 | 913 | 717 | 392 | 382 | 441 | 350 | 168 | 303 | 963 | 857 | 730 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 9 | S 15 | — | E 10 | SSW 25 | SSW 22 | SSW 20 | SSW 11 | SSW 21 | SSW 16 | S 9 | S 9 | S 9 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | E 12 | SW 13 | SW 12 | SW 12 | SW 12 |
25 | 343 | — | 68 | 63 | 419 | 615 | 107 | 649 | 463 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 268 | 208 | 259 | 167 | 120 | 120 | 92 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 15 | ENE 10 | — | — | SW 26 | — | — | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | — | S 11 | — | S 9 | E 12 | SW 13 | S 11 | S 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 |
45 | 33 | — | — | 102 | — | — | 30 | 31 | 16 | — | 2 | — | 2 | 174 | 183 | 3 | 2 | 26 | 43 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | ESE 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | ESE 8 | E 8 | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | ENE 8 | E 7 | ENE 12 | — | WSW 4 |
186 | 86 | 800 | 754 | 667 | 642 | 554 | 539 | 498 | 704 | 779 | 484 | 545 | — | — | 232 | 245 | 1272 | — | 8 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 167 | 149 | 386 | 386 | 161 | 386 | 386 | 318 | 329 | 361 | 161 | 135 | 135 | 5 | 5 | 96 | 16 | 16 | 123 | 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)
Latest Updates
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.











