Hargen Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here.

Let’s be straight with you. Looking at this 16-day window, it’s a tough run for Hargen. There isn’t a single moment in the whole forecast where the surf conditions are called anything other than "poor," so we’re not talking about hidden gems here. The overall pattern is a long stretch of small, messy, or just plain ugly surf. We start with no real swell to speak of, and while there is a bit of a size bump in the final days of August and into early September, the wind never plays ball.

First up, Monday the 24th of August afternoon. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the north with a short period of 7 seconds and weak combined energy (34). That’s barely a ripple, and even though the wind is cross-offshore and there’s clear skies, the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. Not worth paddling out.

The rest of the first week is a washout. Tuesday the 25th through to Friday the 28th of August sees swell barely reaching 2 ft to 3 ft, with periods so short (4 to 6 seconds) there’s no power behind them. Energy values are tiny, like 3 and 19. The wind is either fresh offshore or cross-on, but with nothing to ride, it doesn’t matter.

We get a bit of a pulse starting Saturday the 29th of August. The swell bumps to 4 ft from the west on the morning, period at 6 seconds, but it’s onshore wind from the west at 30 km/h, and again, conditions are rated poor. By Sunday the 30th, the swell hits 4 ft from the west and the combined energy climbs to moderate (147), but the wind is a fresh cross-onshore from the WSW at 35 km/h, making it lumpy and messy. This trend continues into the start of September. Monday the 31st of August sees 5 ft west swell with a period of 7 seconds and solid energy (176), but with a strong breeze from the WSW, it’s messy. The best of this period, if you can call it that, is Tuesday the 1st of September morning. Swell is 5 ft from the west, period 8 seconds, and the combined energy is the highest on the board at 228 (moderate energy). The wind is cross-on from the WSW at 25 km/h though, so it’s choppy. If you had to pick a time, that’s the one, but it’s still poor conditions. This size is okay for intermediates, but the direction (west) isn’t ideal for Hargen, which wants the swell from the NNW.

After that, it drops back down. Wednesday the 2nd of September through to the 8th sees a mix of small west-northwest and southwest swell, but always with cross-on or onshore wind. Friday the 4th has some cross-offshore wind from the south, but the swell is only 2 ft.

There are no genuine standouts. The water temperature on the 24th is 69°F, and the anomaly is 5°F, which is notably warmer than usual for this time of year.

So, what’s the call? Don’t bother with the paddle board for this stretch. The setup at Hargen, being a beach/breakwater exposed to the west, and with the wind so consistently cross-on or onshore, honestly, it looks more interesting for the kite surfers than us. There’s just not enough quality to justify a session.

Rusty

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