Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The outlook for Halawa (reef/river) is a tough one. We’ve got a 16-day window here, but honestly, there’s not a single session that really stands out as a good option. The whole period is marked by persistent cross-shore winds, often moderate to fresh, and a lot of the time the swell is weak and short-period, so the waves are just messy and lumpy. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is about normal for this time of year.

The first real recommendation comes on Sunday morning, July 19th, but it’s a flat, tiny 1.0ft from the NNE with a period of just 8 seconds and a combined energy of just 23 (weak). That’s not worth paddling out for. The wind is a cross-shore from the east at 16 mph, so it’s just choppy.

Moving through the week, the swell picks up a bit, but it’s all short-period windswell – 5ft to 6ft from the ENE on Monday and Tuesday, but periods are just 7 seconds. The combined energy climbs into the 200s (moderate), but the wind is still cross-shore at 16 to 19 mph, so you’re looking at a lumpy, choppy mess. Definitely not beginner-friendly at 5ft plus, but even for experienced surfers, the quality is poor.

By Wednesday and Thursday the 22nd and 23rd, the swell tries to push a bit, with 6ft to 7ft from the ENE, but periods are still short (6-7 seconds) and the wind is fresh, up to 22 mph. The combined energy gets into the 300s and 400s (moderate to strong), but that’s mostly just a lot of moving water with no real shape. At 7ft, it’s getting into expert-only territory, but with the cross-shore winds, it’s just a blown-out, lumpy wall. It’s really more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The pattern continues through the next week. The swell stays in the 5ft to 7ft range, with periods never really getting above 8 seconds. The wind stays stubbornly from the east or ENE, mostly 12 to 19 mph. Even on the 30th of July when the wind drops to 3 mph from the NNE, the swell is only 3ft from the ENE with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is 194 (moderate). That could be the least bad window, but it’s still cross-onshore and the waves are small.

The last few days of the forecast, into early August, the swell fades away. By the 2nd and 3rd of August, we’re back to 1.0ft to 2ft with weak energy (single and double digits).

So, the honest truth is: there’s no standout session here. The whole 16 days is a write-off for quality surf. The combination of persistent cross-shore winds (often strong) and short-period, messy windswell means the waves are just not well-shaped. For a reef/river setup like Halawa, you really need the swell direction to match the optimum (NNW), but we’re seeing ENE and NE swells almost exclusively, which don’t line up well. The only potential bright spot is the 30th of July morning with light winds, but the swell is small and the direction is still wrong. Keep an eye on the longer range, but as it stands, I’d give this one a miss.

Rusty.

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