Honokohau Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the forecast for Honokohau Harbour over the next 16 days is a bit of a mixed bag of very small waves and a whole lot of waiting. There’s a long stretch of poor conditions early on, so don’t get your hopes up for a quick paddle.

The overall pattern is mostly tiny, weak swell with gentle winds. The water temp is sitting at 81° most of the time, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no drama there.

The first real blip of anything surfable is on Wednesday the 19th of August in the afternoon. You’ll get a tiny 1ft swell from the SW with a period of 16 seconds. The combined energy is weak at 112, so it’s not packing much punch. The wind goes glassy, which is a big positive – it’ll be clean, but the waves are just ordinary. That’s the best you’ll see for a few days.

The quiet period drags on through Thursday and Friday the 20th and 21st, with swell staying under 2ft and the energy still weak (between 149 and 227). Winds are mostly onshore or light cross-onshore, so it’s not looking great.

Then, on Sunday the 23rd of August, the morning shows a slight bump in swell to 3ft from the WNW, with moderate energy at 360, but the wind is onshore, so it’s only marginal. That afternoon, the wind goes glassy, and the swell drops to 2ft from the SSW. The energy is still moderate at 313. The conditions are labelled as “expect good surf,” but honestly, for a reef break like Honokohau Harbour, it’s just tiny. This is the standout session of the whole outlook – the glassy wind and long period swell (15 seconds) will make for clean little waves, but it’s only for the patient and the lightest of boards.

Monday the 24th of August afternoon brings another glassy session with a 2ft SSW swell and 13-second period, and the energy picks up to 348. The wind is calm, so it’ll be smooth, but it’s still a very small wave.

Tuesday the 25th of August is the next best stretch – both morning and afternoon have glassy wind and 2-2ft SSW swell, with moderate energy around 302-365. The 16-second period suggests a bit of grunt for the size, but it’s still small. This is a close second to the 23rd.

After that, things get messy. From the 26th, the swell direction shifts to the NNE with a short period of 7 seconds, which is choppy and poor. The energy drops off, and the wind turns cross-onshore. This is a week of nothing worth chasing.

Finally, on the 30th of August, the swell swings back to the SW with a long 18-second period, but the energy is only moderate at 174 and the wind is cross-on, so it’s marginal. The 31st and 1st of September are similar – tiny and weak.

The standout here is definitely the afternoon of the 23rd of August – glassy, clean, and the longest period of the whole run. The 25th of August is also worth a look for the same glassy conditions. But honestly, for a spot that’s consistent and exposed to WNW, this is a quiet period. If you’re a beginner, the 1ft to 3ft swell is fine, but it’s not a wave you’ll get excited about.

Rusty.

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