Harlyn Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper surf at Harlyn. We've got a long stretch of tiny, weak, and messy waves ahead. It’s not until the very end of the forecast window that we finally see some real size, but even then, the wind is going to be a problem. There's a big gap of nothing before that pulse arrives, so don't hold your breath just yet.

The first week is basically a write-off. Wednesday the 5th kicks off with a cross-shore breeze and a 6ft swell that's just lumpy and poor, with a weak energy reading (394). It drops off quickly after that, and for days we’re looking at ankle-biters under 3ft with choppy, cross-onshore winds. The swell energy drops right down to two-digit numbers (22, 31), which tells you how weak it is. Sure, Friday morning the 7th has clean conditions with a slight air, but there’s only 1ft of swell. Not worth the paddle.

The middle of the week sees a slight bump on the 12th and 13th, with the swell getting up to around 4ft. The energy picks up to a moderate 215-291, but the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, leaving the surf poor. Saturday the 15th offers a cleaner look with a cross-off breeze and 4ft of swell, but it’s still not enough to get excited about. The 16th gets a bit bigger, 4ft, but a fresh cross-shore wind chops it all up.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The real swell shows up on Tuesday the 18th of August. We’re looking at a solid 8-10ft of west swell, and the energy is strong, reading 1064 to 1509. That’s a proper pulse of groundswell. But, and it’s a big but, the wind is going to be howling moderate to fresh from the northwest, creating a cross-shore mess. At this size, it’s expert-only territory, and with that wind, it’s going to be a battle. The wave period is 9 seconds, so it's not a super long-period groundswell, but there's plenty of push. Honestly, with that much wind and size at a beach break, this looks like it might be more fun for the kite surfers than us paddle surfers.

After that, the swell backs down a bit, but the wind stays cross-onshore through the 19th. The only glimmer of hope is on Thursday the 20th, when the wind finally swings offshore from the south. The swell is down to a more manageable 4ft, and the conditions are clean. The energy is moderate (268), and it looks like the best of the bunch, but it's still rated as just "ordinary". It's the only day in the whole 16 days where everything comes together, even slightly.

So, there you have it. A long, flat spell, a big and messy swell, and one final day that might just offer something salvageable. It’s a tough outlook, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. The forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, don't get your hopes up.

Rusty.

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