ISO 24444 / ISO 24443 EU COLIPA and SANS 1557 Verified Broadspectrum Sunscreens
Nahoon Reef Surf Report
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SURF RATING
FLAT
★☆☆☆☆
Poor: waist-to-chest-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, though onshore wind is adding chop.
WAVE
1.3 m
SWELL
1.1m @ 8s
WIND
11 km/h Onshore
WATER
17.2°C
★☆☆☆☆
Poor: waist-to-chest-high waves on short, wind-driven swell, though onshore wind is adding chop.
Swell: 1.1 m @ 8 s (SSW)
Wave height: 1.3 m
Wind: 11 km/h S Onshore
Sea temp: 17.2 °C · Wetsuit: 3/2 mm full wetsuit
Best window today: 18:00–20:00 (lightest wind)
🧬 Break DNA
22% match
Today: off its ideal window today
🌊 Wave type
Reef break
🧭 Best swell
SE groundswell, 11–16s
💨 Best wind
NW offshore
🏄 Board
Shortboard
📈 Skill
Intermediate–advanced
Ideal wind & swell are derived from the way this coast faces; break type is local knowledge. Match blends today’s swell angle, wind & period.
🌊 Why it’s reading like this right now
- Short, wind-driven SSW swell at 8s is hitting at an angle
- 10 km/h onshore wind is adding chop
- Not fully aligned today — pick your moment on the timeline above.
🏄 When to paddle out today
🏄 Reading today’s surf…
■ epic ■ clean ■ fun ■ marginal ■ flat ■ dawn/dusk · tap an hour
🎒 Pack for this session
🏄 Board
Shortboard
🤿 Wetsuit
3/2 mm full wetsuit
🧴 Bring
Reef-safe sunscreen
☀️Midday:Warmer but often windier; moderate crowd
Crowd estimate is a comfort/timing proxy from conditions & day of week — not a live crowd count.
Swell & wind
■ swell in ■ wind (green=offshore/good) offshore zone
Spot match
5-day wave & wind forecast
■ wave height (m) ── wind (km/h, right)
7-Day Surf Forecast
| Day | Rating | Wave | Period | Swell | Midday wind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 13 Oct | ★★☆☆☆ | 1.5 m | 8 s | SSW | 5 km/h Onshore |
| Wed 14 Oct | ★★★☆☆ | 1.4 m | 8 s | S | 25 km/h Cross |
| Thu 15 Oct | ★★★★☆ | 1.8 m | 9 s | SSW | 14 km/h Cross |
| Fri 16 Oct | ★★★☆☆ | 2.0 m | 10 s | SSW | 10 km/h Onshore |
| Sat 17 Oct | ★★★★☆ | 2.0 m | 8 s | SSW | 21 km/h Cross |
| Sun 18 Oct | ★★★☆☆ | 2.3 m | 8 s | SSW | 16 km/h Cross |
| Mon 19 Oct | ★★★☆☆ | 2.9 m | 7 s | SSE | 29 km/h Cross |
Daily peak wave height, mean swell period & direction, midday wind. Rating is our surf-quality score.
🌊 Today's tide (nearest station)
☀️ Sun & skin — out on the water all day
Sunrise 05:28 · Sunset 18:20 · Peak UV 6
Surfers & anglers get the highest UV dose of anyone. Recommended: SPF 50, reapply every 2 hours and after every session.
Shop SPF 50 sunscreen →Surf/wave: Open-Meteo Marine. Sun/UV/pressure: Open-Meteo. Tides: Stormglass model. Solunar is an approximate guide. Generated Tue, 13 Oct 2026 15:13 SAST.
Aerial map — Nahoon Reef
Reef take-off
Reef (shallow rock)
Channel / paddle-out
Take-off / peakHazard rocksChannel / paddle-out
Hand-styled from Esri World Imagery. Markers show the peak, channel & hazards — indicative local knowledge, not live conditions or navigation advice; tides, banks, rips & hazards change, so use your own eyes on the day.
About Nahoon Reef — Surf Local Knowledge
Nahoon Reef, on the northern edge of East London beside the Nahoon River mouth, is one of the Eastern Cape's best-known waves and one of South Africa's classic reef breaks. It sits off a rocky point at the end of the beach, breaking over a bottom of boulders and reef, and is a long-standing favourite that has hosted plenty of competition surfing over the years.
It is a quality right-hand reef break that peels for a good long ride when it is on, sometimes 100 metres or more. It needs a south-west groundswell and comes alive with an offshore wind from the west to north-west, working best from low tide as it pushes; winter is prime. This is an intermediate-to-advanced wave that draws crowds on the good days. Take real care of the boulders and urchins on entry and exit, and note that East London — Nahoon included — has a notable great white presence.