Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s look at what’s brewing for Hennemans in the coming couple of weeks. Fair warning, it’s a slow burn with a long dry patch before anything gets going.

The water here is running unusually warm at about 73°F, which is a solid 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a real anomaly and makes a session feel more like a tropical soak than a late-winter dip at Hennemans.

Through the end of August and into the first days of September, the surf is small and scrappy. We’re looking at waves mostly between 2ft and 4ft, but the direction is all wrong for this break. Hennemans needs swell from the west, and we’re stuck with SSW and S swells. The wind is mostly onshore or sideshore-onshore, so it’s choppy and uninviting. The energy is moderate at best, but the quality is just not there. You’d be fighting for a crumbly wave. This stretch is a hard pass for paddling; honestly, with the bumpy, wind-affected conditions, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper surf.

There’s a real dead spell from around the 31st of August through to the 8th of September. Wave heights stay tiny, often under 3ft, and the wind stays in a bad quarter. Energy drops right off. It’s flat and poor. Leave the board at home.

Now, here’s where things get interesting, but it’s a long way off. On the 9th of September, Wednesday morning, the ocean wakes up. We’re looking at a solid 4ft+ swell from the south with a long period of 16 seconds. The power jumps to strong. Wind is just a light cross-shore breeze, which will keep things fairly clean for this reef. That afternoon, it builds even more: around 6-7ft from the SSW with a 17-second period and very strong energy. This is a serious groundswell. The wind stays light cross-shore. This is the standout of the whole period. It’s over 8ft, so this is for experts only, and with that long period and SSW angle, the waves will be rifling down the reef but might feel a little straight at times. Get ready for some heavy water. This is a promising outlook, but being over a week out (9th of September), treat it as a hopeful watch for now.

Also, keep in mind Hennemans is inconsistent and rarely breaks properly, so when it does fire like that, it’s a rare and special session.

Rusty.

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