Fence (Port Elizabeth) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is for the Fence, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. There’s some solid swell on the way, but the wind is going to be the main character in this story for a good chunk of the time.

The first real window kicks off early Thursday morning, the 6th. We’re looking at a solid 7ft of SSW swell, and the wind is light offshore. The water is sitting at 62°F, which is a good 5°F colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want the thick rubber. It’s a clean, powerful wave for the experienced crew. The energy is pumping, so there’s plenty of push. This is about as good as it gets for the next week, to be honest.

The wind swings around to the southwest and howls at 19 mph come Thursday afternoon, chopping things up. The swell stays around 7ft, but the quality drops right off. Friday and Saturday are pretty average – the swell backs off a bit, and the wind is either on it or blowing a fresh cross-off, making it hard to get a clean one. There’s a more powerful SSW groundswell filling in on Sunday morning, hitting 8ft with strong energy, but a 22 mph cross-off wind will have it a bit lumpy. It’s not terrible, but it’s not the cleanest.

The start of the next week sees the wind turn onshore and the swell gets messy. Monday and Tuesday are junky, with cross-shore winds and a drop in quality. By Wednesday the 12th, the swell drops right out, bottoming out to a tiny 3ft of long-period SSW swell, but it’s pretty much unsurfable with a 25 mph onshore breeze. That run of poor conditions looks set to last a few days.

There’s a little glimmer of hope on Saturday the 15th. The afternoon shapes up with a glassy 4ft of short-period east swell. It’s small, but clean. The energy is weak, so it won’t have much grunt, but at least it’s rideable.

Keep your eye on Tuesday the 18th. Conditions look promising early with a glassy 4ft of SW groundswell and calm winds. The energy is moderate. It’s not huge, but it could be clean and fun. That’s a standout for the second week, but it’s a long way out, so I wouldn't book the day off just yet.

After that, it’s pretty quiet again. A few small pulses, but nothing that gets the heart racing. The wind looks like it’ll be a factor right up to the end of the window. All in all, get on it early Thursday morning if you can, and pencil in that Tuesday morning as a possibility. Otherwise, it’s a lot of flat and choppy water.

Rusty

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