Hanalei Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Looking at Hanalei Bay over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burn to start, with the first real window of opportunity not showing up until this Tuesday morning (August 11th). We’ve got a small, short-period wind swell from the east at about 3.6ft with a period of just 7 seconds. The energy is weak (273), but with the wind coming out of the east at 9 mph, it’s a cross-offshore breeze, which will keep the surface clean. This is about as good as it gets for the first few days, but the swell is tiny and lacking any grunt.

We slide into Wednesday and Thursday (August 12th & 13th) with similar small, short-period swell, but the wind picks up to 12 mph, making things a bit more of a battle. The surf drops right off in quality. Friday (August 14th) sees a slight bump up to 5.2ft, but it’s still marginal and the winds stay moderate. Come Saturday (August 15th), the swell builds to 6.2ft from the east-northeast, and the period creeps up to 8-9 seconds. The energy is climbing into the moderate range (528-601), but a cross-shore wind makes for a bit of a chop.

Now, Sunday the 16th of August is where things get interesting for the experienced crew. The swell pushes up to 7.5ft with a period of 11 seconds, giving it some proper long-period power. The combined energy is strong at 1202. The water temp anomaly is about average for the time of year. The drawback? The wind is a messy cross-shore at 12-16 mph, and we’re looking at rain showers. The conditions are described as marginal, and the break here is an exposed reef and point setup, so that long-period east-northeast swell is going to wrap in nicely, but the wind isn’t doing it any favors. It’s a big, powerful wave, so this one is strictly for advanced surfers only.

The standout period honestly looks like Tuesday morning, August 18th. The swell drops slightly to 7.5ft from the east-northeast, still long-period at 10 seconds, and the energy remains strong (1011). The key difference? The wind swings around to a gentle cross-offshore from the southeast at 9 mph. That should clean things up nicely and offer the best combo of size and shape for the entire run. Crowds are often a factor at Hanalei Bay, so that’s something to be aware of if you’re paddling out.

From there, the swell fades quickly into the weekend of August 22nd and 23rd, with small 5.6-6.2ft east swell returning, but the wind stays moderate, and the overall quality is poor to marginal. The rest of the window into the 26th looks like more of the same small, wind-affected surf. It’s not a total washout, but you really have to pick your moment around the 18th for something worth the paddle.

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