Fence (Port Elizabeth) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, looking at the surf for our stretch of coast. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but a monster swell is brewing for the first week of September. Let's break it down.

The first real action kicks off on Thursday, the 20th of August. It’s not small, with 8ft SSW swell and a solid 14-second period, packing a punch. The combined energy is strong (2699). The catch? The water is much colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 62°F. But come Thursday afternoon at Fence (Port Elizabeth), the cross-off wind from the SSW at 9 mph keeps it clean, and the crowd factor is only “sometimes” an issue. This is proper, heavy groundswell – period over 15 seconds is very long, so it’ll be powerful. At 8ft, this is advanced territory, for experienced surfers only.

Friday the 21st turns it down a notch. Early morning brings a glassy 5ft SSW swell with a 12-second period (755 combined energy). It’s clean, making it a good option for the morning session. The afternoon gets messy with a strong 12 mph onshore wind, so your window is the early hours.

Saturday the 22nd has the swell pushing back up, but the wind is a problem. A howling 28 mph offshore wind from the WSW cleans the faces but makes paddling into 6ft to 7ft waves a real battle. It’s for the strong and committed only. Sunday the 23rd is glassy again in the morning with 6ft SSW swell, but the afternoon turns cross-onshore.

There’s a gap of small, poor surf from Monday the 24th through to the end of the month. The swell drops under 3ft on the 28th and stays weak (combined energy values between 231 and 967), and when it’s not tiny, the wind is onshore or just too strong. There are short windows – like Tuesday the 25th morning, where a glassy 6ft SSW groundswell (14 seconds, 1519 energy) looks beautiful, but it gets wrecked by onshore wind in the afternoon. Sunday the 30th morning has a gentle offshore and 3ft SW swell, but it’s small.

Now, hold onto your board. The standout is Wednesday the 3rd of September. That Thursday morning at Fence is a solid 16ft SW swell with a 14-second period and combined energy of 17499 – that’s massive, very strong wave energy. The wind is light from the SW at 6 mph, cross-off and clean. This is exceptional, but at 16ft, this is expert-only, heavy, and dangerous. The long-period swell (14 seconds) will have deep barrels, but at a point break like this, it should line up.

The day before, Thursday morning the 3rd afternoon drops to 12ft, still excellent for experienced surfers. Then Friday the 4th morning brings a glassy 13ft SSW groundswell (12 seconds, 6381 energy) – another big session for the crew. However, long-range outlooks on such a big swell are less certain; keep an eye on the forecast.

Overall, the pattern is: a solid, cleaner run from the 20th to the 23rd, then a long, quiet spell until the absolute bomb on the 3rd of September. That Thursday and Friday are the true standouts for the experienced crew.

Rusty.

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