Port Alfred
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
30Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 8 ft swell at 9 s
Tue 3 · 28 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 31 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- SSE 5 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- NE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 441kJ
- Wind
- SW 11 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Sun 8 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 smushy
- Energy
- 875kJ
- Wind
- SE 6 kn
- Temp
- 19°C
Mon 9 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 171kJ
- Wind
- ENE 15 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 237, too small
- Tue 328, too small
- Wed 431, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 626, poor
- Sat 716, too small
- Sun 851, fair
- Mon 911, too small
- Tue 1021, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 19 °C2 mm shorty
- Best May–Jun2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 37, too small | 5 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | wind from the south, 3 knots | 19°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 28, too small | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 31, too small | 5 ft9 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 26, poor | 7 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 441kJ | wind from the south-west, 11 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 16, too small | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 19°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 51, fair | 8 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 875kJ | wind from the south-east, 6 knots | 19°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 11, too small | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 171kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 15 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 21, too small | 5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the south-west, 10 knots | 22°C |
Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:59 −0.3 mHigh 09:52 +0.3 mLow 16:17 −0.2 mHigh 22:30 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:49 −0.3 mHigh 11:32 +0.4 mLow 17:58 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:01 +0.3 mLow 06:08 −0.4 mHigh 12:36 +0.6 mLow 18:58 −0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best May–Jun
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Port Alfred on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Port Alfred
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (146°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (326°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 91). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 18°C in August, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 21°C in January, its warmest (2 mm shorty). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May and June, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Alfred, 1.6 km away (about 5 min by car).
Water about 19°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,330–US$2,620 each
about US$1,330–US$2,620 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to ELS, estimated from distance and season, changing at ATL and CPT, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$891–US$1,860 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$67–US$114 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$161–US$275 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$147–US$268 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$67–US$107 |
| Total | about US$1,330–US$2,620 |
For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Port Alfred
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 58 places to stay
about US$60/nightcountry average
About Port Alfred its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$60 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 32h 20m
About 32h 20m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → ELS, changing at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) and Cape Town International Airport (CPT), then 2h 10m by road
Flights MDW → ELS on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.