Haardebaai Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for Haardebaai. This is a reef setup, sheltered and requiring a bit of experience, so not one for the groms. The water temp is sitting at 60°, pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The opening window is Friday morning, 24 July, and it’s a proper tease. We’ve got a solid 12ft SW groundswell, with a period of 14 seconds, and the wind is glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph. The combined energy is pumping hard at 5186, which is serious. That’s excellent surf for experienced crew, but it’s big, so only the guys who know what they’re doing. The optimum direction is W, and this is coming from the SW, so it’s wrapping in nicely. By the afternoon, the wind swings S and goes cross-on at 6 mph, dropping the swell a touch to 10ft, and it gets a bit marginal. Saturday and Sunday are a write-off – strong onshore winds, dropping swell, and poor conditions. Monday 27th gets ugly with 22-25 mph winds and a messy 8ft to 12ft swell. The whole week from Friday 24th afternoon through to Thursday 30th is mostly a bust: strong winds, lumpy, choppy, and poor. There’s a gap of several days where you’d be better off doing something else.

Then we get a little breather. Friday 31st July morning, the wind goes glassy again from the NNE at 3 mph, with a 5ft SW groundswell at 15 seconds – that’s a long period, so it’ll have good shape and energy, though at a reef, that long period should be just fine. The energy is 1100, moderate. That’s a promising little session. Saturday 1st August morning, we get a clean offshore from the NW at 9 mph, with 5ft SW swell at 13 seconds. It’s a nice, clean option. Sunday 2nd August is the real standout: both morning and afternoon are glassy, with the morning seeing 5ft at 16 seconds and the afternoon 6ft at 14 seconds. The energy is 1185 and 1402, moderate but clean. Winds are light, glassy. That’s the best on offer in the first week – a true window of clean, lined-up waves.

Monday 3rd August morning keeps it clean with a 9 mph NW offshore and 6ft SW swell, but the afternoon gets a bit lumpy. The second week gets interesting again. Wednesday 5th August morning, we’ve got an 12ft SW groundswell, 15 seconds, and a moderate offshore from the NW at 16 mph. The energy is 5091, strong. That’s big, clean, and for experts only. The wind holds offshore through the afternoon, but it’s strong. Thursday 6th is a bit choppy, but Friday 7th and Saturday 8th August have more solid swell: 12ft W swell on Saturday morning, with a 19 mph cross-offshore, and the energy is 4576. That’s another big, clean day for the experienced crew. The optimum swell direction for this break is W, and that Saturday morning is coming from the W, so it’s right on the money. That is the standout of the second week – a promising, powerful, clean swell, though it’s a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it.

Overall, the best sessions are Sunday 2nd August for a mellow, glassy, lined-up paddle, and then Saturday 8th August for the big, clean, powerful stuff. The rest of the period is either wind-affected or too small, so pick your windows.

Rusty.

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