Halawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for our local waters.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough start. For the first few days, we’ve got a solid amount of swell hitting the coast, but the wind is just wrecking it. We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions from Tuesday all the way through to the end of the first week. The wind is blowing fresh and cross to cross-onshore, making for lumpy, choppy, and just plain messy surf. It’s not worth paddling out for.

The energy is there, don’t get me wrong. We’re seeing combined energy readings in the moderate to strong range, like 476 (moderate) on Tuesday morning and climbing to 588 (moderate) on Wednesday, but the quality is zero. It’s all short-period, 7 to 8 second stuff, so it’s just bumpy and weak.

We do get a little glimmer of hope into the first weekend. On Saturday, September 5th, the swell is still solid at 8 ft from the ENE, but the period jumps to 13 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell. The energy readings are huge: 1754 (strong) in the morning and 1835 (strong) in the afternoon. But here’s the kicker: the wind is still cross-shore, keeping conditions marginal. The surf won’t be clean, but it’s the best we’ll see in a while.

Halawa is the only break on offer, and it’s a reef/river setup. It’s fairly consistent and exposed to the swell. The optimum swell direction is NNW, but we’re getting ENE swell, so it’s not an ideal match. The water temperature is sitting at 80°F, which is about average for this time of year – no surprises there.

The standout window, and I mean the only real standout, is Monday, September 7th afternoon. The swell drops just a touch to 8 ft from the ENE, but the period stays at 12 seconds. The wind finally eases to a gentle breeze, 15 km/h (9 mph), and turns cross-shore. The energy is still strong at 1526. The score is a 3 out of 10, which is the highest we’ve got. It’s marginal, but with the wind backing off, the chop will settle, and you might get a few decent ones. It’s not a classic, but it’s the pick of a poor bunch.

After that, the rest of the second week looks similar – marginal conditions with moderate to fresh cross-shore winds and inconsistent energy. The swell drops off significantly after the 7th, and by the 10th of September, we’re down to tiny, weak waves with poor energy. It’s a long, dry run.

If you’re a beginner, the swell is over 5 ft on those bigger days, so it’s going to be a handful. Over 8 ft never really shows up, so it’s not expert-only territory, but the wind and chop make it tricky for any level.

To be honest, if you’re looking for clean, rideable waves, you’re going to be waiting a while. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those windy, choppy days.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the forecasts, and don’t force it.

Rusty.

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