Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you – this outlook for Halawa is a tough one. Over the next 16 days, we’ve got a whole lot of nothing good on offer. The first real chance of a wave doesn’t even show up until Monday the 17th, but even then, it’s a real struggle.

Let’s start from the beginning. Monday morning the 17th, there’s hardly a bump – just 0.7 ft of weak, short-period WSW swell. The wind is howling cross-shore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and messy. The combined energy is a paltry 4, so you’d be wasting your time. That afternoon picks up a bit to 5 ft from the ENE, but it’s still cross-shore and the energy jumps to 265 – moderate, sure – but the wind is ruining it. No score, no recommendation.

Tuesday the 18th is more of the same: tiny 0.3 ft swell in the morning, then a 4 ft ENE swell in the afternoon with cross-shore winds. The energy gets to 195, but again, poor conditions. Wednesday the 19th? 4 ft ENE in the morning, then it drops to 2 ft in the afternoon with a cross-onshore breeze. Just nothing to get excited about.

Honestly, the whole first week is a write-off. We’ve got a solid gap here with zero recommended surf. The wind never lets up – it’s either a fresh breeze or stronger, always cross or cross-onshore. The swell direction is mostly ENE, which isn’t even close to Halawa’s optimum from the NNW. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Moving into the second week, it doesn’t get much better. Saturday the 22nd afternoon sees a 7 ft ENE swell with 402 energy – that’s moderate to strong – but again, fresh cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. For a reef/river break like Halawa, that ENE swell is coming from the wrong direction, and the wind is trashing any chance of clean waves. Sunday the 23rd is similar: 6 ft ENE, 580 energy, but the same story with the wind. Monday the 24th bumps up to 7 ft ENE, 473 energy, but it’s still cross-shore and lumpy. At 7 ft, that’s getting into expert-only territory, but with the quality this poor, it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than anything else.

From Tuesday the 25th onward, the swell drops off a cliff. We’re looking at 2 ft or less for days, with the odd pulse of long-period NW swell (10–14 seconds) but hardly any energy – down to 3 or 18. The wind stays strong, with gusts up to 25 mph by Wednesday the 26th. There’s even a risk of thunderstorms that morning. By Thursday the 27th, the swell disappears entirely in the morning – a flat zero.

The only flicker of hope comes right at the tail end. Saturday the 29th afternoon shows a 5 ft WSW swell with 556 energy – that’s strong. The period is 11 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell. WSW is a bit off Halawa’s optimum NNW, but it’s closer than the ENE we’ve been seeing. Problem is, the wind is still fresh cross-shore at 19 mph. That’s promising but uncertain – it’s over a week away, so don’t book your trip yet. Sunday the 30th drops back to 3 ft, and then it’s tiny again through to September 1st.

So here’s the deal: there are no standouts. Not one session worth paddling out for. The only thing that even catches my eye is that Saturday the 29th afternoon pulse, but with the wind and the distance out, it’s a long shot. This is one of those stretches where the forecast can change, but right now, it’s bleak. Halawa is a reef/river break that’s fairly consistent and exposed, but when the wind and swell directions don’t line up, you get nothing. And that’s exactly what we’ve got.

Rusty.

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