Hakalau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’ve got the outlook for Hakalau. Let’s be real with you, it’s a tough stretch ahead. This is a river mouth break on the exposed east side, and it needs the right conditions to line up. For the most part, we’re looking at a lot of onshore and cross-onshore winds messing things up, with small, choppy surf. The first week is pretty much a write-off for anything decent.

The water temp is running about average for the time of year, nothing weird there.

We kick off Monday, July 13th, with a bit of swell around 5 ft from the east, but it’s a short-period 8 second windswell with onshore winds. The combined energy is moderate (377), but the wind is on it, and the report says “poor surf conditions.” That’s the story for the next week or so. Tuesday through Saturday, same old story: small east or northeast swell, mostly 3 ft to 5 ft, with period stuck between 6 and 8 seconds, and cross-onshore winds from the ESE or ENE. The energy stays moderate (143 to 364), but it’s choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.

There’s a gap of clean, recommended surf here. Nothing really works until we get into the second week.

Now, late in the window, things start to get interesting. The main standout is Saturday, July 25th. The afternoon session has a 6 ft NE swell with a bit of period (8 seconds) and light onshore wind from the east. The combined energy jumps to a strong 695 – that’s real juice. The morning of the 25th also has a 6 ft ENE swell with light cross-onshore wind, energy at 573. It’s not perfect glass, but it’s the best energy we see in the whole 16 days, and the winds are light enough that it could clean up. That’s the one to circle.

Sunday, July 26th is a weird one. The morning has a 4 ft east swell, but with a very long period of 15 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. The energy is very strong at 916. The problem is, long-period swell like this can break straight at a river mouth, and it’s accompanied by light onshore wind. It’s a marginal call, but if you know the river channel, there could be a sneaky wave. The afternoon gets rain and stronger onshore wind, so morning is the only shot.

Monday, July 27th and Tuesday, July 28th also have solid long-period groundswell (14 seconds and 12 seconds) with strong energy (978 to 1028). But the winds are cross-onshore from the NNE, and the swell is a bit bigger (4 ft to 6 ft). For the 28th, with 6 ft and moderate cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a choppy, powerful mess. Only for experienced surfers who know how to handle a tricky river mouth.

Bottom line: the first week is a bust. The standout is the afternoon of Saturday, July 25th – best swell, best energy, and lightest winds. The mornings of July 26th and 27th have the long-period groundswell, but they’re less reliable. Keep an eye on the 25th.

Rusty.

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