Fence (Port Elizabeth) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for Fence (Port Elizabeth).

Alright, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got some solid pulses of swell coming in from the SSW, but the wind is going to be a major player, keeping things pretty messy for a lot of the time. There are a couple of true standout windows in the second week that are worth circling on your calendar, though.

This first stretch, starting from Monday the 27th of July right through to the end of the week, is a write-off for any decent surfing. The swell’s there, around 4ft to 7ft, but the wind is all over the shop. Monday morning has a fresh 22 mph offshore, but it’s a WSW wind, which is just cross-off here. It’s also on the back of a bit of a colder than normal water temp at 64°. The energy is moderate at 964, but it’s “marginal surf” at best. Monday afternoon sees a 7ft SSW groundswell with a long 16-second period, which sounds great, but the wind swings cross-shore at 16 mph and creates a chop. Tuesday and Wednesday are all onshore from the east, ruining what could be a nice 6ft, 15-second swell. Thursday and Friday are cross-onshore and lumpy, with the energy dropping right off. It’s a blank run. Don’t bother paddling out until the weekend is over either – Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August are blown-out with strong onshore winds from the east, with the swell dropping to a weak, short-period 5ft to 3ft.

Now, Monday the 3rd of August is where things finally get interesting. The morning session looks like a very good call. The swell is a clean 4ft from the SSW at 14 seconds, but the real magic is the wind. It’s glassy. Absolutely glassy with a SW wind at just 3 mph. The combined energy is a moderate 740. The water is still holding at that same 64° with the slight anomaly, but on a glassy morning with that long-period groundswell, you’ll be fine. This is the first real window for a clean surf. The afternoon turns a bit cross-onshore, so get on it early.

We hit another rough patch on Tuesday the 4th, with a near-gale cross-off wind that shreds the quality, even though there’s a 7ft SW swell coming in.

But Thursday the 6th of August is the real standout. This is the best on offer for the whole forecast. Thursday morning and afternoon are both marked as excellent for experienced surfers. The swell builds to a solid 5ft in the morning, hitting 7ft in the afternoon, both from the SSW. The period is a very long 16 seconds, and the combined energy is huge – 1673 in the morning, jumping to a powerful 2481 in the afternoon. The wind is a gentle breeze from the SSW, which is cross-off, keeping the wave face clean. This is a proper groundswell, so the line-ups at Fence will be long, clean, and have plenty of push. It’s advanced-level stuff at that size, but for those who know what they’re doing, it’s going to be epic.

The action keeps rolling into Friday the 7th through to Sunday the 9th of August. The swell holds strong, between 7ft and 8ft, with a 15-second period. The energy stays very strong, between 1852 and 2167. The wind stays offshore or clean cross-off for most of this run, particularly the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning sessions look prime. Sunday the 9th of August morning is another excellent session on the cards, with a moderate 12 mph offshore wind and a 7ft SSW groundswell. These are days for the experienced crew to have a field day.

Monday the 10th of August has a 8ft swell, but the morning has a light cross-onshore that’s okay, but the afternoon turns onshore and kills it again. After that, from Tuesday the 11th, the swell fades and the winds turn poor, so the window closes. Make the most of that first week of August.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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