Fence (Port Elizabeth) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let's have a look at what's on the table for the coming days. The first bit of surf worth paddling out for is a Thursday morning session at Fence (Port Elizabeth). It’s not massive, about 5ft from the SSW, but the wind is light offshore and clean, so the surface will be smooth. The wave energy is moderate (676), and it’s a consistent, advanced-level break, so you’ll need to be on your game. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

Thursday afternoon, however, the wind howls up to 28 mph from the west. That’s strong offshore and clean, but the swell jumps to 6ft. It’ll be a battle to get out and hold position, so I’d give that a miss.

The standout of the whole window is Friday morning, 24 July. That’s where it gets proper. A solid 10ft SSW groundswell with a long 16-second period rolls in, pumping strong energy (4473). It’s a big, powerful wave for experienced surfers only. The wind is light offshore from the southwest, so it’ll be clean. This is the one to circle. Friday afternoon sees the wind swing onshore though, so the quality drops.

Saturday morning, 25 July, has a drop in size to 5ft, but the wind is a light cross-on, so there’ll be a few bumps. Energy is still moderate (1177). The rest of Saturday and Sunday are average to poor, with onshore or cross-shore winds and a messy surface.

The next real chance comes Monday morning, 27 July. It’s a smaller 4ft SSW swell, but the wind is a moderate 16 mph offshore, keeping it clean. The energy is moderate (700). It’s a working surfer’s window.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Tuesday, 28 July, through to the end of the month, the forecast is a write-off. Strong onshore winds, lumpy, rainy conditions, and messy, blown-out surf. The swell gets big, over 8ft, but it’s all wind-affected slop. Not worth a look.

After a long gap, the run starts to improve a bit into August. Saturday morning, 1 August, has a 6ft easterly swell, but it’s cross-on and a bit choppy. Energy is moderate (1073). Not a standout.

The real highlight in the second week, and the only other one to get excited about, is Monday morning, 3 August. It’s a 7ft easterly swell, but the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit fat and sectiony. The magic is the wind: absolutely glassy, dead calm, 0 mph. The surface will be like a mirror. Energy is moderate (465). For a clean, empty lineup, this is a solid option for experienced surfers.

Thursday morning, 6 August, and Friday morning, 7 August, offer cleaner conditions with offshore or glassy winds, but the swell is small (4ft and 4ft) from the SSW with a long period, so it’ll be a longboard or fish day.

So, to sum it up: the best of the best is Friday morning, 24 July, with that big, clean SSW groundswell. The only other true standout is the glassy morning on Monday, 3 August. There are gaps of several days with poor surf, especially late July, so don’t expect much then.

Rusty.

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