Hanalei Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Hanalei Bay on Kauai.

It’s a funny one. We’ve got a real slow start over the next week or so, with only tiny, ordinary swells and a lot of cross-off wind. The water is sitting at about 80°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But don’t get too excited yet – the first real standout is a bit of a wait.

Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd of September is where it’s at. We finally see a proper pulse of ENE groundswell showing up. On the 22nd, expect head-high to just over head-high sets around 5ft to 5ft from the ENE, with the period stretching out to 9 and then 10 seconds. Combined energy climbs to 364 on Tuesday and jumps to 468 Tuesday afternoon – that’s moderate energy starting to build, and it’s clean with a light breeze. Good shape, nice lines.

But the 23rd? That’s the pick of the whole run. A solid 6ft of east swell with a long 12-second period, pushing combined energy up to 830. That’s strong wave energy for Hanalei, and with winds turning light and cross-off, the bay should be holding some proper, punchy walls. The 11-second period on the 24th keeps things very good too, with energy still in the 550+ range. This is classic Hanalei: clean, solid, and pulling in a lot of water.

Now, that swell on the 23rd is over 5ft and heading towards double overhead for the bigger sets – so this is one for the advanced crew. Beginners should steer clear. Also, with the groundswell period over 11 seconds, that long-period energy will really wrap into the bay’s reef and point setup, making for longer lulls but proper, dredging waves on the better peaks. Crowds are often here anyway, and when it’s this good, expect a lineup.

Before that, from Thursday the 10th right through to Monday the 21st, it’s mostly small, weak, and uninspiring. Lots of days with waist-to-chest high stuff, short period, and moderate cross-off wind. A few windows on the 12th and 22nd morning show cleaner conditions, but the swell is small. Don’t rush out for those.

The only other little blip is Thursday the 17th morning, where the swell bumps up to 6ft from the ENE with a short 8-second period and strong energy (456), but the wind is still cross-off and it’s risk of thunderstorms. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing that day – it’s a lumpy, wind-affected mess for a standard surfer.

So to keep it simple: Friday 23rd September is the standout. Hanalei Bay (Kauai) under clean, light winds, with a solid 6ft east groundswell at 12 seconds. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The rest is mostly background noise.

Rusty.

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