Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Hennemans over the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water is sitting at a very unusual 75°, which is a whopping 7° warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a real talking point – you're not going to need much of a wetsuit, if any.

Now, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: the outlook is tough. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions staring us in the face. From Tuesday the 11th of August right through until Friday the 22nd of August, every single session is a write-off. The wind is mostly cross-onshore, the swell is small and weak, and the wave comment is consistently "poor surf conditions." There’s no point paddling out for that. The combined wave energy is mostly in the moderate range (between 300 and 600), but it’s just not coming together with the right wind.

The only glimmers of hope come right at the end of the outlook. The standouts are on Saturday the 15th of August afternoon and Wednesday the 26th of August. On Saturday the 15th, we get a cleaner cross-shore breeze with a 4ft SW swell (16-second period). The energy is moderate at 595, and it’s the first time we see a score of 2 out of 10. It’s still marginal, but it’s the best of a bad bunch in the first week.

The real potential, and the one to keep an eye on, is Wednesday the 26th of August. Both the morning and afternoon see a 4ft swell from the S, with a very long period of 17 seconds in the morning and 16 seconds in the afternoon. The combined energy jumps right up to 1081 and 1039 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is light cross-onshore, practically glassy in the afternoon with only 5 km/h. This is the one session that could actually produce some clean, lined-up waves. The only catch is that long period, 17-second groundswell can be a bit straight at a beach break, but at a reef like Hennemans, it should wrap in nicely. The afternoon is rated a 3 out of 10, which is the best of the entire 16-day window. Just remember, it’s eight days out, so there’s still some uncertainty.

Don’t get too excited about the rest. The break is inconsistent, and when it’s this small with onshore wind, it’s just not worth the paddle. That said, the tail end of the forecast shows a bit of a pulse, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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