Hakalau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The 16-day window for Hakalau starts out pretty rough, and honestly, there’s a big gap of nothing much to get excited about for the first several days. The first real glimmer of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until Sunday afternoon, August 2nd, and even that’s just a marginal call.

The overall pattern is dominated by a persistent onshore and cross-onshore wind from the east and southeast, which keeps the surf chop city for most of the period. The swell is mostly short-period stuff, between 7 and 8 seconds, which means it’s gonna be weak and junky. The combined energy is moderate at best, with the highest readings hitting 979 on Saturday morning, August 1st, but that’s paired with terrible conditions.

So here’s the breakdown. From Thursday, July 30th, through to Saturday, August 2nd morning, it’s all "poor surf conditions" with scores of zero. Winds are breezy and onshore, swell is 5ft to 8ft from the east, but it’s a mess. On Sunday afternoon, August 2nd, things ease up a little. The wind drops to a light breeze from the northeast, going onshore, and the swell drops to 6ft from the ENE. The combined energy is still moderate at 668. It’s the first time we get a score of 1, but it’s still marginal. Not a standout.

The following week has a few more mornings with score of 1, like Monday, August 3rd afternoon, with a 4ft ENE swell and a longer 9-second period, light breeze onshore. That’s the best period of the whole forecast. The combined energy sits at 485, which is weak-to-moderate. It’s the only time the period gets above 8 seconds until August 4th, when we see a 5ft ENE swell with an 11-second period, but the wind is already back to a gentle cross-onshore, so it’s choppy. On Monday, August 10th morning, there’s a bit of a spike with a 4ft NE swell at 10 seconds and a cross-shore wind, giving a combined energy of 569 and a score of 1, but it’s still marginal.

If I had to pick the best on offer, it’s the afternoon of Monday, August 3rd at Hakalau. That 4ft ENE swell with a 9-second period under a light onshore breeze is the cleanest we’re gonna get. It’s a river break, so it can handle a bit of period, and the water temp is about average for this time of year, so no need to worry about a wetsuit. The ENE swell is bang on the optimum direction for the spot. Don’t expect a crowd-buster, but it’s the only time the stars align just a little. Everything else is cross-onshore chop and short-period junk.

Signing off, Rusty.

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