Hebara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next 16 days at Hebara start off slow, real slow. For the first few days we’re looking at flat, weak conditions with short period slop. But don’t write it off just yet. There’s a pulse of serious energy building, especially from that first weekend in August right through the middle of the following week, but it comes with a big caveat – the swell gets huge, and this is a beginner spot, so that’s expert-only territory. Keep an eye on the glassy windows early and late in the run.

We kick off Thursday the 30th of July with nothing to get excited about. A tiny 1ft SE windswell with a lousy 10-second period and weak energy (74). Cross-shore wind and poor conditions. Friday the 31st isn’t any better – small SSW swell, short 7-second period, and messy wind. Forget it.

Saturday morning the 1st of August finally gives us a little hope. It’s glassy – dead calm, wind straight offshore from the SE – and there’s a small 1ft SE groundswell with an 11-second period and a touch of energy (60). It’s tiny, but clean. That’s the only real chance for a beginner to get wet this weekend, though it’s barely surfable. The water temperature is 80°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Sunday the 2nd of August morning is where things start to shift. The swell picks up to 4ft from the SE with a very long 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. Combined energy is 702 (moderate), but the wind is light and cross-shore. The problem? Long-period groundswell can be a bit straight at beachbreaks, but Hebara is a beach-and-reef setup, so it might line up. It’s a marginal call though, with the afternoon turning choppier under cross-onshore breezes.

Monday the 3rd of August is where the swell really starts pumping. We’re talking 8ft SE swell in the morning, with a 17-second period and massive 3540 energy. By the afternoon it’s 10ft SE, 18-second period, 4655 energy. This is serious, heavy swell. The wind stays cross-shore, which keeps it clean enough on the face, but at 8–10ft this is too big for beginners and pushing it for intermediates. Only experts should be looking at this.

The standout of the whole outlook has to be Tuesday the 4th of August. Yes, the swell is massive – 12ft to 13ft SE, 16-second period, energy readings of 6800 and 7561 (very strong). But the wind conditions are described as “wind and tide favorable,” and the score is a rare 11 out of 10 – meaning, for someone with the skills, this is as good as it gets. However, the comment is clear: it’s predicted to be *too big* for this break. So this is for experts only. If you’re a competent charger and you know Hebara handles a big SE groundswell, Tuesday morning with that moderate cross-shore breeze is your window. The afternoon gets a bit cross-onshore and choppy.

Wednesday the 5th and Thursday the 6th of August keep pumping – 13ft to 15ft SE and SSE swells, 16-second period, energy up to 9821 (extremely strong). Again, too big for most, but the wind stays light, keeping things reasonably clean. This is a multi-day, high-energy groundswell event.

The swell drops from Friday the 7th, with 8ft S swell, but the wind turns onshore, making it messy. By Saturday morning the 8th of August, we’re back to a glassy, clean 4ft S swell with an 11-second period and 843 energy. That’s a nice morning session for more confident beginners or intermediates – clean, manageable, and uncrowded (crowds are only “sometimes” here).

After that, the second week (from Sunday the 9th) sees a return to smaller, weaker surf (4ft to 6ft) with moderate to fresh cross-shore winds. Nothing special, and most afternoons are poor or marginal. There’s one clean window Monday and Tuesday mornings (10th and 11th of August) with 4ft ESE groundswell and cross-offshore winds, but it’s unremarkable. Conditions fall off again mid-week.

Summary: The best on offer is the big SE groundswell from Tuesday the 4th through Thursday the 6th of August – but it’s only for experts. For the average punter, the glassy Saturday morning on the 8th of August is the pick of the smaller stuff. Crowds are possible but not guaranteed. Stay tuned.

– Rusty

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