Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table.

Honestly, mate, the outlook for Hennemans over the next couple of weeks is a bit of a tough one. It's a reef break, exposed to the west, but it's inconsistent, and the surf quality is just not dialing in for most of the run. We’ve got a long gap of marginal to poor conditions ahead. The water is sitting at a balmy 72°, which is much warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s the one nice thing.

The best window looks like it might shape up around Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th of September. Up until then, it's a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind messing things up. Swell is mostly from the SW, but the wind is just never quite right.

Let’s break it down. Starting Monday the 24th of August, we’ve got a tiny 2 ft SW groundswell with a very long period of 17 seconds. The energy is weak (263), and we’ve got onshore wind. It’s not really doing anything for us. Tuesday through to the end of August is all small surf – 2 ft to 4 ft – with cross-onshore breezes and poor conditions. The combined energy fluctuates but it’s mostly weak to moderate (328–823), and the wave comment is consistently “marginal” or “poor”. There’s a morning on the 26th with 5 ft SSW swell at 12 seconds and moderate energy (823), but the wind is onshore and it’s marked as poor. Not the one.

We go into September the same way. Tuesday the 1st shows a little 4 ft SSW swell (491) with very light wind, but it’s still cross-onshore and the forecast is marginal. Then from the 2nd through the 4th it’s tiny and sloppy.

Now, here’s the standout. Saturday the 5th of September afternoon. The wind finally turns cross-offshore from the NNW at 12 mph. That’s a serious improvement. It’s going to be clean. Swell is 3 ft from the SW with a 16-second period – long period groundswell, which likes a reef setup like this. The combined energy is moderate (520). It’s not huge, but with that clean wind, it’ll be the best wave shape we’ve seen. Sunday morning the 5th has a bit more strength in the swell (4 ft, 16 seconds, 695 energy) with a cross-shore wind, but the afternoon on Saturday is the pick.

After that, the energy drops off again, and we’re back to cross-onshore breezes and marginal conditions for the rest of the forecast. The 8th of September has some 3 ft SSW swell with moderate energy, but the wind is on the nose again.

So, for a surfer, the call is simple. If you can wait, aim for the afternoon of Saturday the 5th of September. That’s your cleanest window with a nice, long-period groundswell wrapping in. It’s not a big day, but it’ll be the most fun you’ll have all forecast. Don’t bother with the rest unless you’re desperate for a paddle in warm water.

Rusty.

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