Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get straight into it, yeah? Looking at the charts for Halawa, and honestly, it’s a bit of a rough stretch ahead. We're looking at a 16-day window and there’s a lot of nothing on offer for a while. The first solid surf idea doesn't even show up until September 5th, so we've got a few days of flat, junky conditions to get through first.

The start of the run, from the 1st through the 4th, is basically a write-off. We've got some lumpy, cross-shore slop with winds blowing 19 to 25 mph and onshore energy. The swell that's there is short-period, around 8 seconds, and the water’s just a mess. The energy is weak and it’s just not worth paddling out for. You’d be fighting the wind and chop for nothing.

Halawa is our only break in the mix, a reef and river setup that's fairly consistent. It likes the swell from the NNW, but we're not seeing that for a while. The water temp is sitting at a normal 80°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won't need a thick suit when things finally do turn on.

Now, the first real glimmer of hope comes on the morning of Saturday, September 5th. We finally see some proper swell filling in, with waves around 8ft coming from the ENE. The period jumps up to 13 seconds, which tells me there’s some real energy behind it. The combined energy reading is strong at 1870, and that's the standout moment of this first week. It’ll be cross-shore winds, which is better than onshore, but it's still moderate, so expect some chop. It's not going to be glassy, but it's the best we’ve seen and it's a genuine wave. The afternoon does deteriorate into a cross-on mess though, so make the most of the morning.

The 6th and 7th keep the swell going, but the direction and quality are a bit less clean. Wave heights stay around 7ft with a solid 11 to 12 second period, and energy levels stay moderate to strong. The problem is the winds are consistently cross-shore, and the quality is only rated as marginal. It’s surfable, but you’ll be sharing it with a cross-chop. This long-period swell from the ENE at a river break like this might be a bit too straight, so it could be a bit walled, but hey, it’s waves.

After that, the middle of the week from the 8th to the 11th just kind of fades out. We get some smaller, shorter-period stuff mixed in with some west-southwest slop that's completely wrong for the break. It's back to poor conditions, with some flat spells in there too.

Then, hold on to your boards, because on the afternoon of Saturday, September 12th, the models are throwing out a big one. We're looking at a solid 13ft of swell from the NE with a 9-second period. That’s a lot of water moving. The combined energy jumps up to a strong 2504. But be careful what you wish for, because that size is only for the experts. Over 8ft, it’s a heavy day out there. The wind is still cross-shore, so while the power is there, it might be a bit unruly. The morning of the 13th will still have a decent 8ft from the NNE, so there's a window there.

After that big pulse, things quickly fade out by the 14th and 15th, dropping back down to small, weak, and cross-shore again. It gets down to under 3ft, and the run fizzles out, with a hint of a very long period north-northwest swell on the 16th, but it's tiny.

So, the long and short of it is: the standout window is the morning of the 5th to the 7th, and the big, expert-only swell arrives on the 12th and 13th. Everything else is either flat or junk. The forecasts are more reliable in that first week; that big swell for the 12th is a promising call, but long-range forecasts like that can change.

Rusty, signing off.

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