Haambatia (Herzliya) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what we’ve got on the cards for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. But I’ll walk you through it.

The overall picture for the Haambatia (Herzliya) area is pretty quiet. The wave energy is low for the vast majority of this 16-day run, and we’ve got a long gap of nothing really worthwhile to paddle for. The first record shows surf on the table, but the quality just isn’t there. We’re looking at a run of days where the best you can hope for is marginal, and most of it is straight-up poor.

Looking at the dates, on Tuesday 14th July, we start off with a tiny 2ft swell from the WNW with a short 6-second period. The energy is weak at just (30). The wind is cross or onshore, so it’s messy. Not one to get excited about. This carries on through Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th, where the swell nudges up to 3ft and the period stretches to 8 seconds, giving us a bit more energy (85 and 91 respectively), but the wind is cross-onshore. It’s described as “marginal,” which is the best we see for a while. Still, it’s not worth rushing out for.

From Friday 17th July through to Tuesday 28th July, it’s a long, grim spell. The swell drops back to 1ft to 2ft, periods are short (5–8 seconds), and the energy is mostly in the teens to low 30s. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, with a couple of glassy mornings on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th. Even with that clean surface, the swell is just too weak – 2ft and 1ft – to push any decent waves. It’s flat, mate.

A bit of life shows up around Friday 24th July. The swell picks up to 3ft with an 8-second period, and the energy climbs to a moderate (110). But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, making it choppy. Still, that’s the biggest swell in the whole window. Saturday 25th July morning has a 3ft swell with 8-second period and cross-shore wind, energy at (125). It’s the best combined energy we see, but the wave comment is still “poor surf conditions.” It closes out the stint with a similar pattern.

So, what’s the call? Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The only time you might get something marginally rideable is the morning of Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th, and maybe the morning of Saturday 25th July if you’re desperate and the wind cooperates. But compared to the rest, even those are poor. The break is inconsistent at the best of times, and this stretch proves it. A blank run like this is not unusual for the area.

There’s no swell over 5ft, so it’s never too big, but it’s also never big enough. The water temperature anomaly isn’t given for the first break, so I can’t tell you if it’s warm or cold for the season.

Keep your eye on the wind forecasts for those glassy mornings (18th and 19th), but you’ll need a longboard and a lot of hope.

— Rusty

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