Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s run through this in imperial.

Halawa’s a reef/river spot, fairly consistent, and it likes a north-northwest swell. The biggest problem is the wind—most days it’s a cross-shore mess.

Water temp is 80°F, dead average for early September, so don’t bother with rubber.

Sunday, September 6, kicks off with a tiny 1ft northerly swell, period 8 seconds, only 11 combined energy. Cross-shore wind at 15 mph, lumpy—stay on the beach. That flat junk continues through Monday morning, September 7, with barely 0.7ft.

Monday afternoon, September 7, we see a jump to 6ft from the east-northeast, period 12 seconds, and energy of 891. Problem is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore breeze—still messy and poor conditions. No dice.

Now the standout: Tuesday, September 8. Tuesday morning: clear sky, 19 mph *offshore* wind from the south, which is a dream at Halawa. Swell is 6ft from the east-northeast, period 11 seconds, and the energy is a strong 1533. The wave comment says marginal, but that offshore wind cleans everything up. For experienced surfers, this is the best on offer. Then Tuesday afternoon gets even better: wind drops to a light 9 mph cross-offshore, swell still 6ft with 10 seconds and 1081 energy. The wave comment is “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That’s the session. Crowds are only sometimes a problem, so you might have it mostly to yourself.

After Tuesday, it’s grim. Wednesday, September 9, through the rest of the first week and into the second—cross-shore winds, lumpy chop, poor surf. Swell runs 4ft to 6ft most of that stretch, but the wind kills it. Combined energy bounces around 200 to 600, weak to moderate.

Sunday, September 13, sees a bit of 7ft from the northeast, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy. No thanks.

Second week fades fast. Monday, September 14, through Wednesday, September 16, the swell drops to tiny 0.3ft to 2ft, energy as low as 2. Thursday and Friday, September 17-18, show zero swell—totally flat.

Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, bring a pulse of 7ft to 8ft from the east-northeast, but it’s short period at 7 seconds and still cross-shore wind at 15-19 mph. Combined energy gets up to 638 (moderate), but the wave comment is “poor surf conditions” across the board. That’s more a kite surfing day than a paddle session.

Monday, September 21, morning has a tiny 1ft northwesterly, then the afternoon jumps to 8ft from the east-northeast, still short period, still cross-shore and messy.

So to wrap it—Tuesday, September 8, is the day. Offshore wind, solid groundswell, clean waves. The rest of the 16-day run is either blown out or flat. Get it while you can.

Rusty.

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