Hakalau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, this is a tough stretch. The ocean’s going to be doing a lot of stuff, but very little of it is going to be your friend for a proper paddle session. I’m looking at Hakalau, and honestly, the forecast is a bit of a heartbreaker.

The first few days are just a mess of onshore and cross-onshore wind. Tuesday morning kicks off with a 5ft ENE swell, but a 15 km/h ESE wind is chopping it up. The water’s sitting at 80°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least the temperature is fine. The energy is moderate, with a combined reading of 467, but the quality is just poor. The swell direction is right for the spot, but the wind is ruining it. It’s not going to be clean.

We’ve got a long, frustrating gap here. Basically, from the start all the way through to the middle of the month, the story is the same. The swell hangs around, sometimes pushing 5ft to 6ft, but the wind stays on it or cross to it. The period is mostly short, 7 to 8 seconds, which is just junky, windswell energy. There’s a bit of a bump on the 13th with a 7ft swell and energy jumping to 865, but it’s stormy and the wind is still messing it up. It’s just not worth the paddle.

You’re looking at a solid week and a half of nothing worth getting excited about. The waves are there, but they’ll be lumpy, bumpy, and mostly closed out. The period is too short to give them any shape. This is a stretch where you’d be better off finding something else to do with your time.

Now, looking into the second week, there’s a glimmer. On the 16th, the swell picks up a bit more, 6ft to 7ft, with the period stretching to 9 seconds. That’s a slight improvement. The energy readings are climbing into the strong range, hitting 943 on the morning of the 16th. But the wind is still a problem. It’s cross-onshore, and there’s rain and thunderstorms around. It’s still not a green light.

The 17th and 18th have some size, with the swell around 5ft to 6ft, but the wind is up to 25 km/h on the 17th and it’s all cross-onshore. It’s going to be a washing machine out there. The low period means it’s likely just breaking all over the place, not with any real form. This is the kind of setup that’s more interesting for kite surfing than for a clean paddle surf.

Honestly, the whole 16-day window is a disappointment. The only decent-looking swell pulses are all coming with terrible wind. The spot is a river mouth, and it’s exposed, so it’s taking the full brunt of this junk. There’s no standout day, no moment where you look at the forecast and think, "That’s the one." It’s a blank run, but Hakalau is fairly consistent, so it tends not to stay poor for long. The swell is there, it’s just the wind that’s killing it. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but right now, I’d be making other plans.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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