Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and let me tell you, it’s been a bit of a wait for something decent at Empty Lots. For a solid five days, from the 19th through to the 23rd of August, the options are basically zip—weak, messy, and cross-shore chop rules the roost. The water’s sitting at a typical 80.6° for this time of year, so nothing weird there, but the waves are just not playing ball.

The first real glimmer shows up on Friday afternoon the 21st. We’re talking a tiny 2.6ft SSW swell with an offshore wind turning glassy. The combined wave energy is moderate (366), but the real win is that the wind goes dead calm—glass-off conditions. It’s not big, but if you’ve got a log, that’s the session.

Things start to get interesting on Wednesday the 26th. That afternoon sees a 2.6ft S swell rolling in with a very long 18-second period and light cross-offshore wind (NNE). The energy is strong (660), and the comment says “very good surf conditions.” This is a reef break at Empty Lots (Big Island), and that long-period groundswell loves a reef—expect clean, lined-up waves. The crowds are “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it’s worth it.

The standout, though, is the Thursday the 27th. Two sessions pop. In the morning, a 4.3ft S swell (17-second period) with light cross-onshore wind and a combined energy of 1092—that’s strong. Afternoon cleans up with the same S swell at 3.3ft and a light cross-offshore breeze (NNE). Both have that same “very good surf conditions” tag. For me, the Thursday afternoon is the pick: smaller but glassier, with the long-period swell wrapping into the reef beautifully.

After that, we hit a dry spell again from the 28th of August right through to the 2nd of September. Lots of messy E windswell with short periods and strong cross-shore winds—not for paddling. By Tuesday the 1st of September, the swell bumps up to 6.9ft from the east with a 10-second period, but the wind is still cross-shore, and it’s rating as “marginal.” That kind of size at Empty Lots with a messy wind is a big risk—definitely for experts only. The energy is very strong (1204), but the wind just ruins it.

So, bottom line: the real standouts are Friday afternoon the 21st for the glassy small stuff, and Thursday the 27th for the clean, long-period swell. Get out there for those windows.

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