Hakalau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s brewing for Hakalau over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – we’ve got a long stretch of nothing to get excited about before a couple of interesting windows show up.

The overall pattern is a bit of a bummer. For the first week and a half, we’re looking at a real flat spell with poor conditions. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year.

There’s a huge gap from Monday, July 13th right through to Friday, July 24th with no real surf to recommend. The wind is mostly cross-onshore from the east, chopping up anything that tries to roll in. Swell energy is pretty weak, usually sitting in the 100-200 range, and the periods are short, around 7-8 seconds. It’s just not worth paddling out.

Things start to shift on Friday, July 24th. On the morning of the 24th, we get a glimpse of something different. The swell period jumps to 18 seconds on a tiny 2ft swell from the east. That’s a very long period groundswell, and the combined energy reads 321. With a light breeze from the east, it could be glassy. But 2ft is tiny, and at Hakalau, a river mouth, a long period swell like that can be tricky – it might just wash through without much shape. It’s marginal, but it’s the first sign of life.

The next standout is Saturday, July 25th. Morning brings a 3ft swell from the east with a 15-second period. That’s a solid groundswell, and the energy is pumping at 901. The wind is a light cross-onshore from the northeast, so it’s not perfect, but it’s clean enough. The afternoon gets a bit bigger at 4ft from the east with a 14-second period and 750 energy. Again, the wind is light cross-onshore from the north-northeast. This is about as good as it gets for this stretch. Keep in mind, Hakalau is a river mouth, so a long period groundswell like this can be a bit straight, but with the right tide, it could offer up some fun lines.

Looking further ahead to Monday, July 27th, we’ve got solid energy. The morning shows 5ft from the east with a 14-second period and a big energy reading of 1398. The afternoon pushes 6ft with the same 14-second period and 1396 energy. The wind is cross-onshore from the east-southeast, so it’s a bit choppy. This is a lot of power, but the wind is a letdown. Could be a big, messy one.

Tuesday, July 28th, is for the experienced crew only. The morning has a 7ft swell from the east-northeast at 13 seconds and 1758 energy. The afternoon gets even bigger at 8ft from the northeast at 12 seconds and 1854 energy. That’s a lot of water moving. The wind is still cross-onshore from the east-southeast, so it’s going to be a rough, choppy, powerful beast. Not for beginners.

To sum it up, the best bet on offer is the Saturday, July 25th window. The 3ft to 4ft east swell with that long, 15-second period and light winds gives you the cleanest chance of a wave. The 27th and 28th have all the size, but the winds will make it a battle. Be patient, and check the tides.

Rusty.

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