
Surf Forecasts:
Hanalei Bay surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 15 Jul, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, W swell with 357 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 14 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period with W swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Hanalei Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Hanalei Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.8m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.9m and 8s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Hanalei Bay in the next 16 days are 0.9m 15s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 15) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 19) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 5PM (Wed 15th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Hanalei Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the North Shore.
To be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty quiet. We've got a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly unexciting surf ahead. The water is sitting at 79° which is right on the money for this time of year, so no surprises there.
The pattern gets going with a very small, long-period groundswell from the west. On Tuesday the 14th, we're looking at tiny 2ft waves at a very long 16 seconds. That's a proper groundswell, and for a place like Hanalei Bay (Kauai), that long period will mean nice, lined-up waves, but the size is just too small to get excited about. The combined energy is moderate at best (499). The morning is clean with a cross-offshore breeze, which is a good sign, but the waves are just too small.
Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th are much the same story. Slightly bigger at 3ft to 3ft, but still tiny. The wind stays clean, but the energy is nothing special. Honestly, this is gear-testing or longboard-only stuff.
We get a bit of a pulse over the weekend, but it's not from the right direction. On Saturday the 19th, we see a bump in size to 5ft, but it's a short-period wind swell from the east, coming in at a weak 8 seconds. The energy is moderate (311), but the quality won't be there for the points. It'll be a bit of a mess, and the wind is still cross-off, so it'll be clean, just not good.
The first week of the forecast is a real grind. The 20th through the 24th offer nothing but poor surf conditions and tiny, short-period slop. The combined energy stays low, mostly under 200. This is a stretch of beach-break type mush that's better left alone.
Now, here's the one that might be worth keeping an eye on, but it's a long way off. Towards the end of the month, on Sunday the 26th and into Monday the 27th, a new, longer-period groundswell tries to fill in. We're looking at 3ft to 4ft from the east, but the period jumps back up to 15 to 17 seconds. The energy finally starts to climb, hitting 570 on Sunday afternoon and up to 891 on Monday afternoon. That's a moderate to strong energy reading. The swell direction is east, which is not the absolute optimum for Hanalei Bay (which loves north), but that long period will still wrap in nicely. The winds are light and cross-offshore, which is great. The catch is that this is over a week away, so it's promising but not a sure thing. The size is still small, but with that period, there will be some clean, long walls for the experienced crew.
Overall, the best bet in this entire 16-day window is looking at the Monday the 27th of July and Tuesday the 28th of July. The swell direction is east, size is around 3ft to 4ft, but the period is 14 to 15 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore, making for a clean, lined-up wave. The energy is strong (891 on Monday afternoon). It's not a massive day, but it's the only one that has any real quality written all over it. The crowds at Hanalei Bay are often heavy, so expect a lineup.
Don't get your hopes up for anything else. The rest of the forecast is a write-off. It's a real flat spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 8mm), mostly falling on Tue morning. Warm (max 27°C on Wed afternoon, min 23°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 27°C on Fri afternoon, min 22°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | E 6 | E 7 | W 13 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 7 | E 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
264 | 264 | 310 | 294 | 357 | 275 | 268 | 268 | 200 | 144 | 138 | 104 | 107 | 86 | 135 | 240 | 247 | 156 | 125 | 164 | 86 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:28PM0.84m | 2:59AM0.25m | 4:07PM0.80m | 3:55AM0.28m | 4:44PM0.73m | 4:55AM0.31m | 5:18PM0.66m | 6:00AM0.35m | 5:49PM0.56m | 7:14AM0.39m | 6:15PM0.47m | 8:38AM0.45m | 6:33PM0.39m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:15PM0.09m | 8:08AM-0.08m | 10:48PM0.09m | 8:55AM-0.02m | 11:20PM0.08m | 9:43AM0.05m | 11:52PM0.07m | 10:36AM0.13m | 00:24AM0.06m | 11:45AM0.22m | 00:57AM0.06m | 1:45PM0.28m | 1:33AM0.05m | ||||||||
6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:23 | — | — | 7:22 | — | — | 7:22 | — | |
mm | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 25 | 25 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 24 |
Feels °C | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | NE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | W 15 | NNE 8 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | E 8 | NNE 7 | WNW 11 | E 7 |
132 | 132 | 187 | 128 | 357 | 76 | 268 | 268 | 200 | 144 | 138 | 46 | 43 | 50 | 35 | 22 | 33 | 156 | 36 | 24 | 86 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 8 | W 16 | W 15 | NNE 8 | W 15 | SSW 13 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | NE 7 | WNW 12 | SW 12 | NNE 7 |
103 | 119 | 310 | 294 | 64 | 275 | 17 | 47 | 29 | 34 | 31 | 89 | 87 | 86 | 49 | 49 | 28 | 54 | 27 | 5 | 33 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 16 | W 16 | SSW 13 | NNE 7 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SSE 7 | SSW 16 | SSE 7 | SSW 15 | ESE 8 | SSW 14 | SW 13 | SE 9 | WNW 12 | SW 12 | S 16 | W 11 |
264 | 264 | 17 | 38 | 20 | 38 | 26 | 17 | 21 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 21 | 14 | 20 | 7 | 3 | 26 | 5 | 5 | 9 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | E 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 6 | E 7 | ENE 7 | E 7 | E 6 | E 7 | E 7 | E 7 | E 8 | E 8 | — | E 8 | ENE 7 | — |
— | — | — | — | 100 | 77 | 120 | 66 | 126 | 111 | 89 | 104 | 107 | 72 | 135 | 240 | 247 | — | 125 | 164 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 29 | 29 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 1 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 34 | 29 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaua'i | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Hanalei Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Hanalei Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Hanalei Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Hanalei Bay surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Hanalei Bay) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Hanalei Bay may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a vacation in Kaua'i? If you are looking for accommodation near Hanalei Bay, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in Kaua'i, consider staying in Lihue - Kauai which is 31 km (19 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Nawiliwili which is 31 km (19 miles) away










