Harlyn Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a hard look at the Harlyn forecast for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to be straight with you—this stretch is a grind. The combined wave energy barely cracks double digits for most of the first week, and almost every session is tagged with poor surf conditions. The swell is small, direction is all over the place, and the wind is rarely on our side. It’s a bleak run until we get past the first week.

For Tuesday 28 July, the afternoon brings a tiny 2 ft swell from the west with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a weak 55, and the wind is a light cross-shore, but the conditions are poor. The water is sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Not a session to get excited about.

Wednesday 29 July doesn’t improve. Morning has 2 ft and a dropping period of 8 seconds, with a cross-breeze. The wind picks up to 12 mph in the afternoon, making it choppy. The combined energy stays around 50. Thursday 30 July shows a slight bump in height to 3 ft from the WNW in the morning, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore, creating a chop. Energy hits 86, but it’s still poor.

Friday 31 July through Sunday 2 August is a washout. Swell drops back to 1 ft or 2 ft, periods are short, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy hangs in the 30s and 40s. By Monday 3 August, we see a jump in energy to 121 in the morning, with 3 ft from the WSW, but the wind is onshore and the conditions are still poor.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Tuesday 4 August morning. The morning session has 3 ft from the WSW, an 8-second period, and the combined energy is 114 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze, and the conditions are clean. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” and it’s the only time in the whole forecast that gets a score of 1 out of 10. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best you’ll find in this run.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Wednesday 5 August through the end of the first week sees tiny swell, poor wind, and energy levels dropping into the 20s and 40s. The wind gets strong on 6 August afternoon with 22 mph onshore, making it a write-off.

Now, we jump into the second week. The forecast is less certain, but the numbers get bigger. On Monday 10 August, the swell jumps to 6 ft from the west, with a 9-second period and a combined energy of 533 (strong!). The morning wind is a moderate cross-shore, but it’s still tagged as poor surf. The afternoon stays similar. This is a big energy spike, but the wind is cross-onshore at 12 mph, creating a chop. It’s a lot of water moving, but it’s not clean.

Tuesday 11 August has a morning of 4 ft with a light onshore wind and energy of 178. The afternoon jumps back to 6 ft, energy 406, but the wind is cross-onshore. Wednesday 12 August brings the biggest numbers of the whole forecast: 7 ft in the morning, 7 ft in the afternoon, both from the WSW, with energy hitting 509 and 632 respectively. The period is 8 seconds, and the wind is light cross-shore to cross-onshore. These are big, powerful waves for a beach break, and at over 7 ft, this is expert territory. The conditions are still described as “marginal.” For a spot like Harlyn, which is a sheltered, inconsistent beginner break, this much energy is more of a spectacle than a good session. With that much swell and a cross-onshore wind, the setup might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s no true standout in this 16-day window. The best chance for a clean, surfable wave is that Tuesday 4 August morning, but it’s small. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too big for the conditions. Hang tight, folks. The long-range energy on the 10th and 12th is promising, but it’s a long way off and the wind needs to play ball.

Rusty.

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