Hennemans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to call. Let’s be straight with you – Hennemans is a reef setup that’s exposed to the west, and it’s inconsistent. It’s a spot that needs the right combination, and over the next 16 days, it’s just not happening. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing special here, so we need to talk about the gaps.

The first real chance of anything is Thursday morning, the 20th of August. We’ve got a small 2 ft swell rolling in from the southwest with a nice long period of 14 seconds. The wind is a light offshore from the WSW, which is clean. The water temp is sitting at 70°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than average for this time of year – a nice touch. But the energy is weak, only 306 (moderate). The forecast is calling it marginal, and honestly, with a wave that small and the inconsistency of the break, it’s not worth getting excited about. The rest of the first week is a write-off with cross-on winds and tiny surf.

We then hit a gap of several days with no real recommendations. The next blip comes on the morning of Wednesday, the 26th of August. The swell picks up a bit to 4 ft from the SSW, still with a period of 13 seconds. The wind is offshore again from the SSW, light. The combined energy jumps to 919 (moderate), but it’s still being called marginal. The afternoon of the same day sees 5 ft from the same direction, but with a gentle breeze, it’s still not clean.

The only real standout in this whole outlook is the afternoon of Thursday, the 27th of August. We’ve got a 5 ft swell from the SSW, period of 14 seconds, combined energy of 945 (moderate). The wind is offshore from the SW, light. This is the best we’ve got. The swell direction (SSW) is close to the optimum (W), and the offshore wind will make it clean. But it’s still a marginal call for a spot that rarely breaks. For the experienced surfer, this is a chance for a few clean lines, but it’s not a day for the beginners.

After that, the second week is a long, slow grind. The wind stays mostly cross-on or light, and the swell never really gets any size or quality. The 30th of August has a 3 ft swell from the SW, but it’s cross-on. The first few days of September are more of the same – tiny, weak, and messy. The 4th of September shows a 5 ft swell from the WNW, but with a short period of 10 seconds and cross-on wind, it’s not going to shape up.

Look, I’ll be honest with you. For a paddle surfer, this is a poor run. The set-up at Hennemans with the swell, the wind, and the beach-reef combo, it’s looking more interesting for a kite session than a paddle. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a long wait for not much.

Rusty.

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