Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for Hennemans, and I gotta be straight with you—this stretch is a tough one. We've got a real dry spell to kick things off, with a whole lot of nothing much happening. The water's sitting at a warm 74°F, which is 6°F warmer than usual, so that's a bit of a wild anomaly—feels more like a tropical dip than a typical August surf.

From Friday the 14th through to the 24th, it's a real struggle. We're looking at tiny swell, mostly around 1ft to 4ft, with a long-period groundswell from the SW that's got some energy in the 400 to 600 range (combined energy) but it's just not translating into anything decent. The wind is a constant cross or cross-on, which is just messing it up. You'll see small wind ripples and chop, making it a paddling workout for little reward. The reef is inconsistent at the best of times, and this period is a prime example of why. It's a blank run, plain and simple.

Now, things start to get a bit more interesting around the 25th. Monday the 24th afternoon shows a pulse of SW swell, and then Tuesday the 25th morning we get a real kick: 6ft of S swell at 16 seconds, combined energy jumping to 1680. That's a solid moderate-to-strong energy spike. The wind is light cross-on, so it's not perfect, but it's a damn sight better than what we've had. By Tuesday afternoon, it's 7ft from the SSW and 15 seconds, with combined energy at 2124—that's a proper strong swell. But here's the catch: it's onshore wind, and at that size, Hennemans is going to be grumpy, and only for the experienced crew. The period is 15 seconds, so it's a groundswell, but that long period can make a reef break like this a bit too fat and hard to manage. The best bet might be the Wednesday morning session on the 26th, with 6ft from the SSW and 13 seconds, combined energy at 1325, and still onshore wind. It's marginal, but it's the closest we get to a proper session. The energy drops off after the 27th, so that window from the 25th to the 27th is your only real shot.

Overall, the standout is the Tuesday 25th, but it's a conditional one. The swell is there, but the wind and the size make it for experts only. Friday 14th to Sunday 24th is a write-off. If you're a kite surfer, the consistent cross-winds might be more your thing, but for a paddle, this is a tough run.

Rusty.

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