Haardebaai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The surf situation here is a bit of a slow burn, but there’s a couple of windows that are going to be seriously worth your time. It’s Haardebaai (South Africa) and it’s a reef setup, so you want to treat it with respect. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is just about normal for this time of year, nothing freaky.

The first few days are pretty grim. Wednesday the 29th through Friday the 31st are all cross-on winds and choppy junk. The swell is there, 6ft to 4ft from the SW, but it’s messy. The wave energy is moderate but not clean — Wednesday morning has a combined energy of 1164, but it’s poor surf conditions. Skip it. Thursday and Friday aren’t any better. Friday afternoon is the worst of it, with 4ft and a measly 421 energy.

Then Saturday morning, the 1st of August, things change. The wind goes glassy, the swell is a clean 4ft from the SW with a period of 14 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and with 589 combined energy, it’s a nice moderate pulse. It’s going to be clean and glassy. This is a standout. The crowd situation is “sometimes” so you might get a few others, but it’s worth it. That morning is the best call of the week.

Sunday the 2nd keeps it going with a 4ft SW swell and offshore wind in the morning. That’s clean, 525 energy. Good shape. Monday the 3rd is also glassy in the morning, 4ft from the WSW with 818 energy. That’s a solid, clean little run.

Then we get a bit of a lull Tuesday the 4th, only 3ft, and not much energy. But Wednesday the 5th, the swell starts to ramp up seriously. Wednesday morning is 7ft from the WSW with a 14-second period and a fresh offshore wind, but the energy is 1780. That’s getting strong. The comment says marginal, but the wind is offshore. Wednesday afternoon is 10ft with 3314 energy. That’s big. For a reef, that’s expert territory. Thursday the 6th is still big, 10ft, and by Thursday afternoon, the wind is cross-off and the energy is 2846. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” — that’s a big green light for the capable crew.

Now, the real monster: Friday the 7th of August. Morning is 13ft from the SW, period of 15 seconds, offshore wind, and a combined energy of 7164. That is a massive groundswell. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” This is the standout of the whole outlook. It’s going to be powerful, clean, and for experts only. The whole 5th to the 7th is a run of big, clean swell. After that, Saturday the 8th gets blown out by strong cross-on wind, and Sunday the 9th is onshore junk.

Then there’s a gap of poor conditions until Tuesday the 11th of August. That morning is glassy with a 12ft NW swell, 12-second period, and 3297 energy. That’s another clean, big day for experts. The afternoon jumps to 15ft NW, but the period drops to 10 seconds, so it’s a bit more unruly. Still clean.

After that, Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are onshore or cross-on and messy. The swell is still big, 7ft to 8ft, but the wind ruins it. Not worth it.

So, the best on offer: Saturday morning the 1st of August is the clean, glassy, fun day for a wider range of surfers. Then the standout big-wave window is Friday the 7th of August, offshore, 13ft SW groundswell at Haardebaai — that’s the one to circle if you’re experienced.

Rusty.

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