Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up. Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for this stretch, but I gotta be straight with you—it’s a rough run. The forecast kicks off with a bit of swell, but the wind is a curse for most of it. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but the first decent window doesn’t come until the middle of next week.

The only break on the menu is Halawa (reef/river). Right off the bat, Friday the 4th of September, the water temp is sitting at 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year—nothing weird there. But the surf? Friday morning is a write-off: 7 ft of messy, short-period ENE swell (7 seconds) with a stiff cross-breeze making it lumpy. The energy is moderate (398), but the quality is poor. That theme continues through Saturday and Sunday, with the swell dropping out completely by Sunday morning to a tiny 1.0 ft. We’re looking at a big fat gap of no-good surf for the first few days.

Now, Monday the 7th of September afternoon is where things get interesting. The wind swings to a cross-offshore breeze, and the swell jumps to 8 ft from the ENE with a period of 12 seconds. That’s a solid groundswell pushing in with strong energy (1864), and the conditions clean up. This is the first real standout. However, 8 ft is getting into expert-only territory—this is not a beginner wave. That long period will make it wall up nicely at the reef, but it’ll be a heavy one.

The best of the entire outlook lands on Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. We’ve got a clean offshore wind from the SSE, blowing at 16 mph, grooming a 6 ft ENE swell with an 11-second period. The energy is strong (1132), and the wave comment backs it up—excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle on the calendar. Clean, offshore, solid size. Crowds are only “sometimes” a problem here, so you might get a few out, but it’s worth the paddle.

After Tuesday, it’s back to the struggle. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are messy with cross-shore winds and chop. The swell sticks around 5 ft to 6 ft, but the period drops to 7-8 seconds, and the wind just won’t cooperate. The energy drops back to moderate (330-341), and it’s a no-go.

There’s a little flare-up around the 13th and 14th of September, with a 10 ft ENE swell showing up on Sunday the 13th afternoon, but the wind is cross-shore and it’s only marginal at best. That’s big, angry water with a cross-chop—more of a kite-surfing proposition than a paddle session. The energy is strong (1302), but the quality is poor.

After that, the bottom falls out. From the 15th of September onwards, the swell disappears completely—tiny 0.3 ft to 0.7 ft waves from the WNW for a couple of days, then a small pulse of 7 ft ENE swell returns on the 17th, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and poor. The last week is a total washout.

So, to sum it up: the only real standouts are Monday afternoon the 7th and especially Tuesday morning the 8th at Halawa. That’s your window. After that, it’s a long wait with nothing to write home about. The reef holds the long-period swell well, but you’ll need your wits about you if it’s over 7 ft.

Stay hopeful, but pick your moment.

Rusty.

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