Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

First things first, the water is sitting at 72°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year. That’s a real treat, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit.

The outlook starts on Thursday, 16 July, with a small 2 ft swell from the SW. The period is a very long 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell, but it’s coming in with a 12 mph southerly that’s cross-onshore, so it’s going to be choppy and messy. The energy is weak, and the conditions are described as poor. There’s really nothing to get excited about here. The same goes for Friday, with similar size and wind, and it’s still poor.

We get a bit of a change on Saturday, 18 July. The wind drops to 6 mph and goes onshore from the SW, which is better, but still not clean. Swell bumps up to 3 ft in the morning, and the energy is moderate. The afternoon is only marginal. It’s a ‘maybe’ day, but not a standout.

Sunday, 19 July, is the first real highlight. We see a jump in swell to 5 ft from the SSW, with a period of 13 seconds. The energy is strong, and the morning wind is light and onshore from the SW. That gives us cleanish conditions. This is arguably the best surf of the entire run, with a decent size for intermediates and a bit of power. The wind stays light, but shifts to a cross-onshore in the afternoon. For a reef break that’s exposed to the W, the SSW swell is a decent direction. Crowds can be a factor here though, as it gets busy sometimes.

Monday, 20 July, stays similar in size at 5 ft, but the wind picks up a little and goes cross-onshore, making it choppier. The energy is still strong. It’s a marginal call.

The rest of the week into the start of the second week sees a drop in size. Tuesday through Thursday (21st – 23rd July) have small swells around 3 ft to 5 ft, with cross-onshore or cross winds, and the quality is poor to marginal. The energy drops back to moderate. Nothing to write home about.

Then, on Friday, 24 July, we get a very interesting spike. The swell height is only 2 ft, but the period is a massive 24 seconds from the SW. That’s an incredibly long-period groundswell. The energy is very strong. The wind is light and onshore in the morning, which is okay, but the afternoon is better with a light cross-onshore. For a reef break like Hennemans, that long period will suck up and produce some clean, lined-up waves, but it will be pulsing with long gaps. This is a real sleeper session for those who know the spot, but it’s only for intermediates and above.

The final few days, from 26 July to 31 July, are a mix of small swells (3 ft to 4 ft) with moderate energy, and mostly light winds. The conditions are marginal, with a few brief windows of cleaner surf. It’s not a classic run, but there are a couple of sessions worth a look.

Overall, the standout is Sunday, 19 July, for the best combination of size and clean conditions. The Friday, 24 July, is a wildcard with the ultra-long period – it could be magic or tiny, depending on the tide. There’s a long gap of poor or marginal surf from 21 July to 23 July, so don’t expect much then.

Rusty.

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