Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for Hennemans.

Honestly, for the first half of this forecast, it's going to be a bit of a grind. There’s surf on offer, but it’s never really firing like it could. The real standout window looks to be this weekend just gone and the start of the coming week, but even then, it comes with some caveats. The wave energy is moderate at best, hitting the three-digit range in the thousands for combined energy (like around 1223 – 1314), but the quality of that energy is the issue. It's mostly long-period groundswell, over 13 seconds and up to 16 seconds, which will be better on a point or reef setup than a beach.

The first real chance for a paddle is this Friday the 4th of September, but it’s not looking great. We’ve got a 4ft swell coming from the SSW, but with a cross-on wind from the WNW at 9 mph, it’s going to be choppy. The water temp is a notable 73°, which is 5° warmer than average for this time of year – that's a very unusual anomaly, so you won't need a thick suit if you brave it.

The pick of the whole 16-day outlook, and the one to aim for, is Sunday the 6th of September. We see the biggest swell of the period – 6ft from the SSW – and the wind goes cross-offshore from the NNW at 12 mph, cleaning it right up. The combined energy is moderate at 1223. This is the biggest and best combo for Hennemans, with a clean surface. It’s an intermediate-level reef break, so 6ft of groundswell will have some punch, and the long period of 14 seconds means the sets will be well-spaced. It might get a little busy because crowds are possible here.

Monday the 7th holds similar size at 6ft off the SSW, but the wind swings cross-shore, which brings a bit of chop. It’s still surfable on the right tide, but not as clean as Sunday.

After that, things drop off a cliff. From around Tuesday the 8th, the swell fades rapidly down to 2ft – 3ft through the middle of the month, with mostly poor wind directions and onshore conditions. There’s a long gap of at least 5 or 6 days there where the surf is just not worth paddling out for. The combined energy dips into the low 200s and 300s, showing it's weak.

Towards the very end of the run, around the 18th and 19th of September, there’s a tiny whisper of a pulse. We see swells back up to about 3ft from the SW, and the wind goes light and cross-shore. The combined energy climbs back above 500 (around 599 to 726). For a last-ditch effort, Friday the 18th afternoon with a light cross-shore breeze could give you a few small, clean lines at this reef if you just want to get wet, but it’s marginal at best. Don't expect much.

So, bottom line: Sunday the 6th is the absolute standout. After that, it's time to find something else to do for a week or so.

Rusty.

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