Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the surf situation for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I gotta be straight with you – we’re looking at a pretty grim stretch. The finder is giving me a big fat zero across the entire 16-day run, and the guidance file only points to one spot: Halawa. This is a reef/river setup, and it’s fairly consistent, but only pulling in swell from the NNW. It’s an intermediate wave, and you can expect crowds sometimes.

The trouble is, the wind is just not playing ball. For the first few days, we’ve got a moderate to fresh breeze out of the E and ENE, blowing cross-shore or even cross-onshore, creating a lumpy cross-chop. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off on Tuesday, the 11th of August, with tiny 1 ft swell from the NNW, but it’s short-period (8 seconds) and the cross-shore wind is making it a mess. Wave energy is weak (19). Wednesday the 12th is even smaller, with 0.7 ft from the W, and the wind is freshening, keeping conditions poor. Thursday the 13th sees a jump in size to 6 ft, but it’s coming from the ENE with a short, weak 6-second period – that’s just windswell, all lumpy and chopped. The combined energy climbs to 220 (moderate), but the quality is still poor.

Friday the 14th gets a bit bigger, 7 ft from the ENE, but the period is still short (8-9 seconds), and the wind remains a fresh cross-shore to cross-onshore. Energy is now moderate at 563 to 677, but it’s still messy. Saturday the 15th is the biggest we’ll see, with 10 ft from the ENE and a longer 11-second period – that’s strong energy (1800 to 2370) – but the wind is howling at 28 mph from the NE and ENE, making it a strong, messy, cross-onshore mess. That’s a “rain showers” and “risk tstorm” kind of day. For a beach/reef setup, this is looking more like a kite-surfing session than a paddle-surfing one.

Sunday the 16th finally gives us a little reprieve. The swell drops right back to 1 ft from the W, but the wind turns cross-offshore from the ESE, and the conditions are described as “clean.” The energy is weak (31-33), so there’s not much to ride, but at least the water will look nice. That’s the closest we get to a standout, but it’s a very small one.

After that, it’s back to the same story. Monday the 17th through Wednesday the 19th sees tiny 0.7 ft to 1 ft swells, with fresh cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. Thursday the 20th to Sunday the 23rd brings a bit more energy, with swell heights from 4 ft to 5 ft, but it’s all short-period ENE windswell, and the cross-shore wind keeps it poor. The last few days, from the 24th to the 26th, are a mix of tiny surf and another spike to 6 ft on the 25th, but again, the wind is too strong and cross-shore to make anything of it.

So, the bottom line: there’s no real standout window here. If you’re desperate, the “cleanest” conditions are on Sunday the 16th, but you’ll be on a 1 ft wave. For the rest of it, the wind is just too strong and onshore. It’s a tough run for Halawa, but that’s how it goes sometimes. The forecasts can change, but for now, I’d keep the board in the car.

Rusty.

Read more