Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what we’ve got lined up for the next couple of weeks. I’ll be honest with you – this stretch is a tough one. We’re looking at a real dry spell for solid, clean surf. The first week and a half is pretty much a write-off, with a lot of lumpy, cross-shore wind and messy conditions. There’s a flicker of something better right at the very end, but we gotta earn it.

We kick things off on Friday, August 28, and it’s grim. Halawa, this reef/river setup, is seeing a 5ft swell from the ENE but the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore. The water is a warm 80°, about average for this time of year. But with that wind on it, the combined wave energy (165) is just getting chopped to bits. The report calls it poor and I’m not arguing. This pattern sticks hard all the way through the end of August and into the first week of September. Saturday the 29th, Sunday the 30th, Monday the 31st – same story: 5ft to 7ft, always on the cross with a fresh breeze. The energy builds to moderate levels (237 to 465) but the wind never gives us a break. It’s all cross or cross-on, and you’re looking at lumpy cross-chop every session.

We roll into September and it doesn’t get any easier. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd bring rain showers and the wind stays stiff, with swell bumping up to 7ft. The energy climbs into the moderate-to-strong range (up to 639), but the description is consistently "poor surf conditions". Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are slightly better with a moderate breeze instead of fresh, but it’s still cross-on and choppy. By Friday afternoon the 4th, the swell period stretches to 10 seconds and the energy hits 497, but the wind angle kills it for Halawa. That period is getting juicier, but the direction is all wrong.

There’s a real down day on Saturday the 5th – swell drops to 2ft and the energy is weak (66). A brief pulse of very long-period WNW groundswell shows up on Monday the 7th, but it’s tiny (0.7ft) and cross-on, so don’t even bother.

Now, here’s the one standout worth getting a little excited about. It’s a long-range call, so keep that in mind, but look at Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 9th of September. Swell builds to 8ft – that’s expert territory for sure, no place for beginners – and the wave energy jumps right up into strong territory (1185). The wind on Tuesday is still fresh cross-on, giving us marginal conditions. But on Wednesday the 9th, we get a light breeze in the morning (9 mph) and the swell holds at 8ft from the ENE. It’s still cross-on and a bit choppy, but that’s the best window we’ve got. It’s only a marginal call, but with that much size and a bit less wind, Halawa might show some shape.

After that, the surf fades again. Thursday the 10th is back to poor, and Friday the 11th brings a tiny 3ft swell from the NNE with a light W wind giving us glassy, clean conditions at last. But the energy is weak (172) and the waves are ordinary. The 1ft WNW swell on Friday afternoon has a very long 14-second period, but it’s just too small. The weekend of the 12th and 13th is flat and not worth the drive.

So, the honest truth: the best chance you’ve got in this whole 16-day window is Wednesday morning, September 9, at Halawa. It’s going to be big (8ft) and cross-on, but the wind is the lightest it’s been for any of the 8ft+ days. If you’re an experienced surfer and you’ve been watching this forecast, that Wednesday morning is your target. Everything else is a blown-out struggle.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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