
Surf Forecasts:
Hakalau surf forecast from 4 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 5 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, ENE swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 13s period, ENE swell with 1,960 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 5 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s 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 Saturday (Sep 05) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.9m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 10s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hakalau in the next 16 days are 2.4m 13s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.5m 4s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Sat 5th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 8ft (2.4m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hakalau over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, hard look at what’s coming our way for this stretch of coast. Gotta be straight with you – the next sixteen days are looking pretty average. There’s no major swell event to get excited about, and a persistent cross-onshore wind is going to mess with the surface on most days. We’ve got some wave energy pushing in, but the conditions just aren’t lining up for a proper clean session.
Let’s break it down. We start off on Friday the 4th of September with some real potential. The swell is coming in at a solid 7 ft from the east, and the period is a long 14 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong at 1784. The water temp is sitting at a warm 81°, which is about normal for this time of year. The only problem? The morning wind is a cross-on from the east at 9 mph, which is going to chop it up a bit. By afternoon, the wind swings to the northeast at only 3 mph, going nearly straight onshore but light enough that it might clean up. It’s still tagged as marginal, but that Friday afternoon session is the best we’ve got in the whole run, so I’d be looking at it if you’re keen.
Saturday the 5th is similar in size – 8 ft from the east-northeast in the afternoon with a solid 13-second period and strong energy (2031) – but again, the wind is either cross-on or onshore. It’s just not coming together for that clean, glassy wave we dream about.
Now, here’s the bad news. From Sunday the 6th right through to Saturday the 19th of September, the surf quality takes a nosedive. The wind stays stubbornly cross-onshore from the east or southeast, sometimes gusting up to 19 mph, which makes for lumpy, choppy, and downright poor conditions. Swell sizes bounce between 3 ft and 7 ft, with periods dropping into the 7 to 12 second range, but the energy drops off significantly (anything from 334 to 834). The models are pretty much giving these days a zero on the quality scale.
If you’re a kite surfer, all that wind and bounce might look fun, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a long wait. There’s a real dry spell from the morning of the 7th right through to the 16th. We don’t see a sniff of decent conditions until maybe the 17th of September, where light onshore winds from the northeast at 6 mph meet a 6 ft swell from the east-northeast. Even then, it’s only marginal.
So, to sum it up: your one and only real window is Friday the 4th of September afternoon. Head to Hakalau (Hamakua Coast). The swell is solid and has that long-period push, but the wind is the factor. It’s a river break, so the extra-long period (14 seconds) might actually make it a bit straight, but if it cleans up with that light northeasterly, you’ll get some decent ones. The rest of the forecast is a write-off. Keep an eye on things, because forecasts can change, but right now, it’s looking like a long, flat, choppy stretch.
Stay patient,
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 14mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 26°C on Sat afternoon, min 24°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Wed night. Warm (max 28°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Wed night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SE on Mon morning, light winds from the ENE by Wed night). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 4 | Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | |||||||||||||||
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 14 | E 14 | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | NE 10 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 12 | ENE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
1784 | 1617 | 1387 | 1587 | 1960 | 1697 | 1231 | 1211 | 1102 | 1231 | 980 | 713 | 478 | 302 | 284 | 268 | 202 | 192 | 167 | 198 | 303 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | on | cross-on | on | cross-on |
High Tide | 9:58AM0.81m | 11:26AM0.87m | 10:20PM0.42m | 12:22PM0.94m | 11:59PM0.48m | 1:05PM0.99m | 00:55AM0.57m | 1:41PM1.01m | 1:40AM0.65m | 2:13PM1.00m | 2:20AM0.74m | 2:41PM0.97m | 2:59AM0.80m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:41AM0.20m | 7:30PM0.39m | 4:27AM0.19m | 7:35PM0.33m | 5:44AM0.15m | 7:54PM0.28m | 6:41AM0.11m | 8:17PM0.23m | 7:30AM0.10m | 8:40PM0.18m | 8:13AM0.12m | 9:03PM0.15m | |||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | — | 6:27 | — | |
mm | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | — | 1 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | 2 |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
Feels °C | 26 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 14 | E 14 | ENE 14 | ENE 14 | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | NE 10 | NE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | E 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 |
1784 | 1617 | 1387 | 1587 | 1960 | 1697 | 1231 | 1211 | 1102 | 1231 | 980 | 713 | 478 | 263 | 179 | 120 | 114 | 141 | 167 | 177 | 303 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | SSE 8 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | NNE 11 | N 8 | N 10 | SE 9 | E 15 | E 14 | E 14 | E 14 | E 13 | E 13 | E 13 | SE 9 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | SE 9 |
14 | 13 | 36 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 39 | 20 | 30 | 21 | 72 | 243 | 243 | 302 | 284 | 268 | 202 | 21 | 147 | 198 | 19 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSE 10 | N 12 | NNE 11 | NNE 10 | N 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 9 | N 9 | NNE 9 | N 8 | NNW 12 | SE 9 | SE 9 | SE 10 | SE 10 | NW 10 | SE 9 | SE 9 | NW 9 |
5 | 20 | 11 | 39 | 34 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 23 | 14 | 25 | 11 | 14 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 20 | 20 | 13 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | SE 4 | — | — | — | ENE 7 | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | 36 | 24 | 21 | — | — | — | 192 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 158 | 95 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 14 | 18 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 74 | 16 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 20 | 95 | 95 | 20 | 20 | 14 |
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.










