Hanalei Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's check the charts for Hanalei Bay (Hawaii). Gotta be honest with you, the next week or so is looking pretty grim. We've got a consistent easterly breeze blowing cross-off at about 12 mph, and while it's clean, the swell we're getting is mostly short-period windswell from the ENE. The water temp is sitting around 79°, which is pretty normal for this time of year - nothing weird there. For Sunday July 5th we're looking at waves around 6 ft, but the period is only 8 seconds and the combined energy is moderate at best (423). Honestly, for an advanced spot like Hanalei, this is marginal surf with questionable tides - nothing to get excited about.

This pattern, with swell heights between 6 ft and 7 ft and that same short 8-second period, just keeps rolling through the first week. The combined energy stays in that moderate range, hitting a peak of 536 on Tuesday July 7th, but the quality just isn't there. By Sunday July 12th, the swell drops a bit to 5 ft and the energy falls to 282. This is a real lull.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Around Monday July 13th, the pattern starts to shift. The swell drops right down to 2 ft, but look at that period jumping to 15 seconds - that's proper groundswell. By Tuesday July 14th, we're seeing 3 ft waves with a 17-second period and the energy is building to 569. The wind eases to 9 mph as well. This is a classic long-period groundswell, and for a point and reef setup like Hanalei Bay, that's exactly what you want. The shape will be way better, with more power and those nice long lulls between sets making the paddle out easier. This isn't a huge wave, but it's the best quality we'll see all week.

That long-period pulse carries through Wednesday July 15th with 3 ft at 16 seconds and energy up to 625. The water temp anomaly isn't given for those days, but with the wind staying light to moderate, these early next week sessions will be the real standout. Don't expect big size, but of the whole forecast, Tuesday July 14th and Wednesday July 15th mornings are your best bet for something with proper shape.

After that, we slip back into that short-period, ENE windswell pattern for the second week. By Sunday July 19th the energy spikes to 973 with 7 ft waves, and then Monday July 20th hits 1058 combined energy with 7 ft swell - that's strong wave energy. But with a period of only 8 seconds and that steady 12 mph cross-off breeze, it'll be a bit of a messy, crumbly mess at the Bay. Too short-period for a spot like this to really shine. It'd be clean, but the quality just won't be there.

So in a nutshell: the next few days are poor. The real highlight is the small, long-period groundswell rolling in on Tuesday July 14th and Wednesday July 15th. Don't expect bombs, but the quality will be miles ahead of anything else on the table.

Rusty.

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