Port Alfred
Surf spot · South Africa
Is it worth the trip?
43Poor out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 202kJ
- Wind
- SSE 1 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Wed 4 · 56 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 339kJ
- Wind
- SW 3 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Thu 5 · 44 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- E 2 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 26 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 170kJ
- Wind
- W 10 kn
- Temp
- 23°C
Sat 7 · 43 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 127kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 875kJ
- Wind
- SW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Mon 9 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 195kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 269, good
- Tue 356, fair
- Wed 456, fair
- Thu 544, poor
- Fri 626, poor
- Sat 743, poor
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 930, poor
- Tue 1047, fair
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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Port Alfred does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 69, good | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 223kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 20°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 56, fair | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 202kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 22°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 56, fair | 5 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 339kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 23°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 44, poor | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 26, poor | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | wind from the west, 10 knots | 23°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 43, poor | 4 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 127kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 20°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft9 ssoft7 ft at break (est.) | 875kJ | wind from the south-west, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 30, poor | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 47, fair | 5 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 227kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 24°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 beginners: 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.