Hanalei Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s in the water for Hanalei Bay.

Look, honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid push of east-northeast windswell coming in, but the wind is mostly cross-off from the east, which will keep the surface clean but the wave shape could be a bit lumpy. The water is a warm 79°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The big issue is that from Wednesday the 8th all the way through to around the 20th of July, every single surf window is rated as marginal. The swell is consistent, but the quality just isn't there. The combined energy is moderate, sitting around the 300 to 500 range for most of that time, but the period is short – mostly 8 seconds or less. That means weak, fat waves that are hard to get a good ride on. Don’t expect any barrels.

The best window in this whole outlook actually appears later on. Look at the 21st of July. The swell direction swings around to the east, and we see a big jump in period – up to 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy hits 702 in the morning and 932 in the afternoon, which is strong. The morning has a cross wind, but the afternoon cleans up to a nice cross-off breeze. The swell size is only 3ft to 4ft, but with that long period, it’ll have plenty of push. This is the standout. Hanalei Bay is a reef and point, which is perfect for these long-period swells. It’ll be a proper, clean, long-period groundswell – the best on offer, but it’s over a week away, so take it as a promising look.

After that, the 22nd still has some nice long-period energy in the 15-second range, but the size drops off a bit. By the 23rd, we’re back to the short-period windswell.

Honestly, for the first two weeks, the setups look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The wind is consistent and the waves are messy. If you’re a beginner, the swell is mostly over 5ft, so it’s probably too big and crumbly for you. For experts, it’s just not offering much quality until that late window.

Don’t hold your breath for the first ten days, but keep an eye on that 21st of July.

Rusty.

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