Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty.

We’ve got a 16-day window here, and honestly, the first week or so is looking pretty average. It’s not going to be flat, but it’s a mixed bag with a lot of marginal conditions. The surf will be there, but you’ll need to pick your moments. Things start to look up a little in the second week, but it's not a classic run.

Kicking off on Sunday the 26th of July, we’ve got a long-period groundswell from the SW, around 3ft, but at 19 seconds, that's a very long period. At Hennemans (a reef break), that’s actually a good thing – reef breaks love that long-period energy. Combined energy is moderate (838), and the wind is light onshore out of the SW at 6 mph. It’s not glassy, but light onshore at a reef can still be rideable. Still, the wave comment says it’s marginal, so it’s not a standout. Water temps? No anomaly noted, so it’s about average for the time of year. That same pattern holds through the next few days – Monday the 27th has a similar 4ft SW swell (18 seconds) but a cross-on breeze at 9 mph, which will chop things up a bit (1021 combined energy). Tuesday the 28th is the same story, onshore wind and 4ft of SW swell. Not great.

Wednesday the 29th offers 4ft SW swell, but the cross-on wind is a bit gentler. Thursday the 30th sees a drop in swell period to 14 seconds and 5ft. Friday the 31st pushes the swell to 6ft from the SSW, which is getting a bit solid for the average punter, with a light cross-onshore breeze and combined energy at 1071. That period is dropping, though – 14 seconds now. It's not a standout.

Then we hit a lull. From Saturday the 1st of August through to Sunday the 9th of August, it’s mostly poor. Swell drops below 3ft for a few days, wind is often cross-onshore, and the combined energy falls into the 100–300 range, which is weak stuff. That’s a solid week-plus of marginal to poor conditions. For a reef break like Hennemans, that’s a quiet spell – it’s known to be inconsistent, so this stretch isn’t unexpected.

Now, there is a glimmer at the very end. On Monday the 10th of August, we get a morning window with 2ft of SW swell at 14 seconds. The combined energy is only 203 – weak – but the real story is the wind: glassy. A 3 mph SSW breeze that’s glassy, the wave comment says "expect good surf conditions". The period is 14 seconds, so it’s still a long-period swell, and for Hennemans (reef), that’s a plus. 2ft isn’t big, but if you want clean, tiny waves with no crowd (rated "sometimes" for crowds, so possible), this is your moment. It’s the only time in the entire forecast that wind delivers glass. If you’ve got a log, go.

To sum up: nothing big, nothing epic. The best on offer is that Monday 10th morning session at Hennemans for the clean, small stuff. Everything else? Give it a miss unless you’re desperate.

- Rusty

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