East Beach, Port Alfred, Eastern Cape
By Jazz Kuschke
When the swell is just right (it likes a long-range south to southwest swell) East Beach off the Kowie River Mouth in Port Alfred is a long, fast hollow right-hander breaking over a sand bottom. As this most breaks, that’s not every day though and more often you’ll find a sedate, short left-hander bowling up in the rip toward the rocks, with easy, peaky rights further down the beach. Experienced surfers jump from the rocks into the mouth at the head of the wall, instead of paddling out, but this can be rather hairy, so don’t attempt it until your confidence and ocean knowledge are on a level.
When it’s on, it can provide a fast hollow top section with the potential of some solid tubes. Toward the inside the face opens up allowing for some rail and lip work, with the ride often punctuated by a the left breaking peak, to make up some good close-out aerial stuff. Warwick Heny (up in R1/H4) is known as the ‘unofficial mayor’ of Eastern Beach and no-one has the place as wired as the lanky regular footer. Lookout for a serious mix of tube and rail work from him both at home and down the coast at JBay.
Photographs by: Alan Van Gysen
