Port Mansfield Surf Guide

Port Mansfield Surf Guide

The town of Port Mansfield lies on the Intracoastal Waterway about 80 miles south of Corpus Christi. By driving over 65 miles of beach, surfers can reach the jetties that protect the pass opening at Port Mansfield. Along the way, you can check the surf at Little Shell and Big Shell, which sometimes spawn hollow, punchy peaks across open stretches of beach. The state government and the Army Corps of Engineers frequently dredge the pass near Port Mansfield to maintain the channel for transit between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Gulf of Mexico. In the past, the dredges have pumped the sand onto the north side of the north jetty, which created a long, sweeping point for waves to peel from the tip of the jetty northward along the crescent-shaped beach. The jetties provide outstanding protection from heavy S winds, while still allowing chest-high waves to peel off this makeshift sandy point that can occur during such dredging events. The beaches to the north and south of the Port Mansfield Jetties, as well as the shoals that form between the jetties, possess quite a reputation for handling surf in the eight to 12-foot range, particularly during hurricane season.