Haardebaai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, 'cause I've been staring at the charts for Haardebaai, and it's a bit of a mixed bag. We've got some fun windows, but you gotta pick your moments. This is a sheltered reef setup, so it needs the right angle, and when it's on, it can be a gem. The water is sitting at 59°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The week kicks off on Wednesday the 26th of August with a solid 25 mph easterly howling straight across the wave face. Swell is there at 4 ft but with that wind, it's a total write-off. A mess. You wouldn't paddle out for that. Thursday the 27th looks way better, though. The morning has a 5 ft swell from the south, period around 12 seconds, and that light cross-offshore wind from the WNW will have it clean. The energy is solid at 810, so there's some grunt behind it. That's your first real chance. Thursday afternoon stays clean but drops a touch in size.

Now, Friday the 28th of August morning is the standout of the first week. Glassy conditions, dead calm, with a clean 4 ft south swell at 11 seconds. The energy is moderate (612), but when it's glassy at a reef like this, you don't care. It'll be smooth as silk. That's the session to circle. Saturday the 29th morning also has clean 5 ft surf with light cross-off winds, but by the afternoon a strong 15 mph south-southwesterly kicks up and makes a mess of the 7 ft swell.

Sunday the 30th is tricky. The morning shows an 8 ft swell with light cross-on winds – that's getting into expert territory and the wind isn't perfect. It's a marginal call. Monday the 31st cleans up again with 6 ft and light cross-off winds. Solid.

But then, hold onto your board. The 1st of September rolls in with a massive 12 ft to 15 ft southwest swell. The energy numbers are huge (4873 and 6751), but it's a clean cross-off wind. At this size, this reef is going to be a freight train. It's expert-only, and the potential for a washing machine is high. The period is a long 14 seconds, so the sets will be big and powerful. That's a "watch from the cliff" day unless you're a charger.

After that, the 2nd and 3rd of September are hammered by onshore gales from the southeast, blowing out the leftover swell. The 4th of September has almost no energy left (45), and the wind is still howling at 34 mph. That's a solid gap of poor surf. The 5th and 6th of September stay blown out with strong onshore winds, even if a long-period 21-second swell tries to show up on the 5th afternoon – it'll be too messy to enjoy.

Finally, we get a glimpse of hope on Monday the 7th of September. A clean 3 ft swell with a light offshore wind from the northwest, period of 14 seconds. It's small, but clean. Then the 8th gets offshore winds again, but the swell drops to 3 ft, not enough to get excited about. The 9th of September brings a 5 ft swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds, so it'll be weak and crumbly.

The biggest standout is Friday the 28th of August morning at Haardebaai. You've got 4 ft of south swell and absolute glass. It'll be clean, lined up, and without the crowds that a perfect day might bring. For the brave, the 1st of September has the biggest swell of the period, but only if you've got the skills and the nerve.

Rusty

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