Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it.

The next couple of weeks are a real mixed bag. The guiding principle here is patience. There's not much on the table right now, and you're going to have to sit through a lot of lumpy, cross-shore junk before things clean up. The first few days are a total write-off, so don't even bother paddling out until we get past the middle of next week.

The only real window with any potential shows up around the 16th of August. Before that, it's all small, weak, and messy. From the 10th to the 15th, we're looking at tiny waves, mostly under 2ft, with a cross-shore breeze that's going to chop everything to pieces. The swell energy is weak, like in the 19 to 47 (units) range. There’s a brief pulse on the 12th and 13th with some 5ft to 6ft ENE windswell, but it's short-period stuff, around 6 seconds, and the cross-onshore wind will make it a complete mess. This is a perfect example of a setup that looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The 14th sees the swell bump up a bit more, with 7ft to 8ft on the 7th and 9th second periods, and the energy climbs to 530 and then 719 (units). But again, it's all cross-onshore and lumpy. Not worth the fight.

Then, on the 16th of August, things get interesting. The swell jumps to 15ft in the morning, pushing to 18ft by the afternoon, with a long-period (12-13 seconds) ENE groundswell. The energy is very strong, hitting 7028 and then 8434 (units). The wind swings around to the west-southwest, giving you a clean cross-offshore flow. This is the standout window. Halawa is a reef/river break, and this kind of long-period swell is exactly what it's built for. It’s a big, powerful swell, over 8ft, so this is strictly for experts. The direction is ENE, which is a bit off its optimum NNW, but the size and the clean conditions make it the best call of the whole period. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The morning of the 17th still has some size, with 10ft and a moderate offshore breeze, but the period has dropped to 10 seconds and the energy is down to 1704 (units). It’s still a solid option for the experienced crew, but the peak of the swell has passed. The afternoon drops to 8ft and the wind goes a bit cross-off, but it's still clean.

After that, the 18th and 19th see the swell dropping back down to the 5ft to 6ft range, and the cross-shore winds return, making it messy again. The energy drops back to the 246 to 431 (units) range. It’s a quick fade.

From the 20th onwards, it's mostly small and poor again. A few days with 3ft to 4ft ENE windswell, but the winds stay cross-shore and bumpy. The 22nd and 23rd are back to almost nothing, with tiny 0.7ft swells and weak energy. There is a slight pickup on the 24th and 25th with 6ft ENE swell, but the period is short and the cross-shore winds will likely ruin it.

So, the plan is simple: save your energy for the 16th of August. That’s the big one. The 17th is a decent follow-up, but the rest of the window is not worth your time. It’s a long wait, but that one day looks like it could be special.

Rusty.

Read more