
Surf Forecasts:
Hakalau surf forecast from 30 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 3 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 1 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, ENE swell with 737 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 3 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 8s period with ENE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hakalau this week:
The surf forecast for Hakalau over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 03) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.7m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 12s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hakalau in the next 16 days are 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 01) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Mon 3rd Aug) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sat 1st Aug) | 7.5ft (2.3m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hakalau over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here, switching to imperial. Let’s get into it for the next couple of weeks. We’ve only got one spot on the radar: Hakalau.
To be honest, it’s a tough run. The river mouth setup here is exposed to the ENE, and the swell direction we’re seeing is mostly straight on or cross-on, which is never ideal for a river mouth. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is about average for this time of year, no real surprises there.
We kick off on Thursday, July 30, but it’s pretty grim. Cross-on winds from the ESE at 16 mph are chopping up a 4 ft, weak 8-second swell. The combined energy is only 261 (weak), and it’s just poor conditions. That carries through Friday, July 31, with a bit more size – 6 ft to 6 ft – but still onshore winds and that same short-period, wind-affected energy (793 to 823, moderate). Don’t bother.
Saturday, August 1, sees the swell hitting 8 ft with rain showers. The energy is strong at 956 to 1005, but it’s all onshore and cross-on. That’s heavy, messy power – more for the experts, and even they’d be fighting wind chop. Not a paddle-friendly setup.
Sunday, August 2, drops back to 6 ft, winds ease a touch to 9 mph from the ENE, but it’s still onshore. The energy is moderate (732, 656). The comments say “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” which means it’s touch-and-go. Monday, August 3, is the best of a bad bunch. Morning has 5 ft, 8-second swell from the ENE with light 6 mph onshore wind, but it’s still onshore. The energy is 541 (moderate). The afternoon goes cross-on from the NE with a 5 ft, 9-second swell. Better period, but still light cross-onshore ripples. I’d rate it as a “maybe” if you’re desperate, but it’s not a standout.
After that, from Tuesday, August 4, right through to Friday, August 14, it’s a long, bleak stretch. The swell drops to 3 ft to 5 ft, all with short periods (7-11 seconds) and persistent cross-on winds from the ESE or SE. The combined energy stays moderate but messy (151 to 523). The comments are all “poor surf conditions” except for a couple of “marginal” calls on Saturday, August 8, and the very last afternoon on Friday, August 14, which has a cross-shore wind and a slight cross-chop. That’s a small glimmer, but nothing to get excited about.
The bottom line: there’s no proper standout in this 16-day window. The constant onshore and cross-on winds kill the quality, and the swell is mostly short-period wind chop. If you’re a kite surfer, the 8 ft days with strong wind on August 1 might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, this is a blank run. It’s not unusual for the area, but it’s disappointing.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 13mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 9mm), mostly falling on Sun morning. Warm (max 27°C on Tue morning, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 30 | Friday 31 | Saturday 1 | Sunday 2 | Monday 3 | Tuesday 4 | Wednesday 5 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
198 | 302 | 355 | 412 | 470 | 614 | 702 | 737 | 549 | 504 | 504 | 412 | 339 | 288 | 694 | 560 | 436 | 290 | 182 | 120 | 72 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on |
High Tide | 4:01PM0.99m | 3:44AM0.62m | 4:25PM0.97m | 4:25AM0.64m | 4:48PM0.92m | 5:09AM0.67m | 5:11PM0.86m | 6:00AM0.68m | 5:34PM0.79m | 7:04AM0.70m | 5:57PM0.70m | 8:28AM0.72m | 6:18PM0.62m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:01AM0.08m | 10:34PM0.27m | 9:34AM0.12m | 10:58PM0.24m | 10:09AM0.18m | 11:22PM0.22m | 10:46AM0.26m | 11:50PM0.20m | 11:30AM0.36m | 00:21AM0.18m | 12:27PM0.45m | 1:01AM0.17m | 2:04PM0.54m | 1:54AM0.17m | |||||||
5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | |
— | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — | — | 6:55 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Feels °C | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 17 | E 16 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 9 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 |
198 | 137 | 305 | 412 | 470 | 497 | 702 | 737 | 549 | 504 | 504 | 412 | 339 | 288 | 694 | 560 | 436 | 290 | 182 | 120 | 72 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 17 | N 10 | N 10 | E 15 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 12 | ENE 12 | N 7 | SE 8 | SSE 9 | SE 7 | NNE 9 | NNE 9 | ESE 7 |
53 | 8 | 16 | 367 | 339 | 329 | 249 | 260 | 257 | 200 | 126 | 163 | 190 | 192 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 39 | 16 | 16 | 59 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 7 | S 14 | SE 13 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 8 | SSE 9 | N 10 | N 9 | N 9 | N 9 | N 8 | N 7 | SE 8 | SE 8 | N 10 | NNE 10 | S 13 | SE 8 | NE 8 |
10 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 28 | 26 | 13 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 24 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | E 8 | E 8 | — | — | ENE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 7 | SE 7 | ESE 6 | SE 7 | — |
— | 302 | 355 | — | — | 614 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 44 | 65 | 58 | 44 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 158 | 158 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 158 | 20 | 20 | 194 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 16 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Hakalau Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hakalau provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hakalau can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hakalau surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Hakalau) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Hakalau may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Hakalau is 21 km (13 miles) from Hilo. If you plan a vacation in Big Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hilo. Hilo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











