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Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier) Surf Forecast

Texas Coastal Bend, TX · Mustang Island's pier and jetty peaks - Texas' surf town.

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Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier) Spot Guide

Best swell

ESE
window NE–S (45°–190°)

Ideal size

1–6 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

WNW
offshore · ESE is onshore

The wave

BreakBeachbreak around Horace Caldwell Pier
BottomSand
WavesThe Coastal Bend's most consistent peaks
AbilityYes — mellow most days, lively on fronts.
Best tideMid
CrowdTexas' definitive surf town; friendly lineups
HazardsPier pilings, beach driving traffic
AccessDrive-on beach with permit; pier lot at I.B. Magee Park

Local knowledge

Port A is where Texas surf culture lives — board shops, surf camps and a pier that shapes the Coastal Bend's steadier windswell. The Gulf's deeper approach here gives it a touch more consistency than Galveston, and a tropical swell turns the whole island into a festival.

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier)?

ESE swell hits Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier) straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from NE (45°) through S (190°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier)?

WNW wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. ESE wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.

When is the best time of year to surf Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier)?

Winter cold fronts (November-March) make most of the year's surf, with tropical systems (June-November) providing the standout days. Expect long flat spells in mid-summer.

What's the best tide at Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier)?

Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier) good for beginners?

Yes — mellow most days, lively on fronts.

How warm is the water at Port Aransas (Horace Caldwell Pier)?

Roughly 56°F at its late-winter coldest to about 85°F in late summer. In practice that means a 4/3 in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.

How far out is this forecast reliable?

The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.

Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →