Harlyn Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on Harlyn for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this is a tough stretch for this corner. Harlyn's a sheltered spot, and the next 16 days look pretty uninspiring. There’s a sad stretch with barely a ripple, especially through the first week. The wait is long, and the action is… well, minimal.

We open on Saturday the 4th of July with a weak 3ft swell coming from the W, but it’s messed up by a stiff onshore breeze. That’s a no-go. This grim pattern of small, cross-shore chop carries right through the whole first weekend and into the first half of the following week. The swell stays tiny – between 2ft and 3ft – and the wind is all over the place, but never doing us any favours. It’s going to be a flat, choppy, frustrating stretch at Harlyn. The wave energy is weak (79 to 218), and the “surfable” windows are basically non-existent.

Now, there is a little glimmer. On Thursday the 9th of July, the morning goes glassy. We’ve got a tiny 2ft swell from the W, dead calm wind, and the energy is weak (89). But glassy conditions are glassy conditions. You’ll be on a log, maybe a 9’0”, just feeling the glide. It’s not going to be pumping, but if you need a paddle and a few soft shoulders, it’s your only choice. For that hour or so, it’s the best on offer.

Beyond that, it’s a real saga. From the 10th into the second week, the wind turns clean on the 10th (Friday) from the ESE, but the swell is still pathetic at 2ft-3ft. You get a bit of a north wind swell on Saturday the 11th with 5ft waves, but the period is a short, weak 6 seconds, and while the morning has a light offshore, the quality is still described as ordinary. It’s a frustratingly long wait for very little payoff. The energy is moderate at best (241). It’s not a clean, powerful groundswell.

Then it’s back to small, choppy slop for the rest of the second week. The swell height bumps up again around the 13th with a longer-period 12-second swell from the WNW, but at only 2ft to 3ft and onshore winds, it remains a forgettable run. The energy hits moderate (214-279), but with the wind and size it’s not for paddling, more for watching the whitecaps.

Honestly, this is a pretty bleak outlook. Harlyn is a sheltered cove, and when there’s no swell, there’s no swell. The consistency is low-to-inconsistent here and this run proves it. A day like Thursday morning the 9th is the only true gem, and even then it's a tiny gem. Stick with the longboard and a good book for the rest of it. Things might change with the next forecast. Stay tuned.

- Rusty

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