Hakalau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about it. Honestly, this is a rough 16-day run for Hakalau. We’re looking at a solid gap right off the bat, with nothing really worth paddling out for from now through to about the 22nd of August. The forecast shows almost nothing but “poor surf conditions” day after day. That’s a stretch of nearly ten days where you’re better off leaving the board in the truck.

Things don’t really start to look the least bit interesting until early on Sunday the 23rd. That morning we’re seeing some chest to head high swell coming from the ESE, running about 7 ft with a 9-second period. Combined swell energy hits 681 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-on from the east, so conditions will be a bit bumpy. The rating is still only marginal, but it’s the best on offer in the whole forecast.

Hakalau is a river mouth break on the Big Island, intermediate level, and it’s fairly consistent when there’s swell—but it can get busy. Expect crowds to be possible here. The optimum swell direction is from the ENE, and this ESE swell is a bit off that sweet spot, so don’t expect perfection.

After that brief window on the 23rd, it fades fast. Back into small, weak, and mostly junky surf through the end of August. Swell sizes drop to around 4 ft to 6 ft, periods stay short at 7 or 8 seconds, and energy values sink to 225–507 (weak to low moderate). Winds stay on or cross-on, so nothing cleans up.

If you’re a beginner, the swell on the 23rd is over 5 ft, so it might be a bit much. For anyone else, this is the only window worth looking at. The rest of the month is a write-off for real surfing. For the lake-like days with that tiny weak swell and onshore wind, a kite might be the better call than a paddle board.

This area just doesn’t get consistent surf in this pattern. It’s not unusual to see a long dry spell like this.

There’s no standout session here. The early morning on Sunday the 23rd of August is as good as it gets, and that’s not saying much.

Rusty.

Read more