Honokohau Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at Honokohau Harbour.

First off, the water’s running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 81°, so that’s a nice bonus if you’re paddling out.

Honestly, the next week and a half is pretty flat and frustrating. From Monday 3rd August right through to the weekend, we’re looking at tiny, weak swell. The waves are small, under 2ft, and the energy is minimal (24–100). The winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore, which doesn’t help. There’s a brief moment on Tuesday afternoon (4th August) where it goes glassy with a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but it’s still very ordinary. Don’t get your hopes up.

There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations. The surf is just too small and weak to bother.

The first real glimmer comes on Saturday 8th August afternoon. The wind drops to glassy, calm conditions, and the swell bumps up a touch with a long period SSW groundswell at 18 seconds. The energy jumps to 204 (moderate). It’s still only 1ft, so it’s small, but that long period means the shape could be there for a reef setup like Honokohau. It’s a reef break, consistent, and exposed to the WNW – the swell is from the SSW, so it’s not the optimum direction, but with glass, it might offer a few fun ones. Crowds are possible here sometimes.

The standout window is the second week. From around Monday 10th August, the swell starts to build. By Friday 14th August morning, we’ve got a solid 3ft WNW groundswell with a period of 16 seconds, and the energy is strong at 518. That’s decent energy. The catch? The wind is cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. But the swell direction is lining up much better with the break’s optimum WNW direction.

The best single session looks to be Sunday 16th August afternoon. The swell holds at 3ft from the WNW with a period of 14 seconds, the energy is 351 (moderate to strong), and more importantly, the wind goes glassy. That’s the one to circle. Clean, lined-up waves on a reef that holds consistent swell. For a reef break, that long period (14 seconds) will give you some nice, pushy sets. It’s not huge, but it’ll be clean and fun for intermediates.

If you want a bit more size, the Thursday 13th and Friday 14th have bigger swell (2–3ft) and stronger energy (408–542), but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so expect some chop. Still, the energy is there.

Overall, don’t expect much in the first week. The second week has promise, but it’s a patience game. The standout is definitely Sunday 16th August afternoon for the glassy, clean conditions.

Rusty.

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