Honokohau Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s going on for this region over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burner, but there are some windows of opportunity if you’re patient.

The first real surfable option doesn’t show up until the start of the period, but the opening days are a real mixed bag. We’re looking at Honokohau Harbour (Big Island) as the only spot in the frame. The water temp is sitting at 82°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no need to dig out the 5/4 just yet.

The opening day, Tuesday the 1st, has some potential but it’s frustrating. The morning shows a clean 3ft swell from the SSW with a very long 18-second period, giving it a solid groundswell feel and a combined energy of 651 (moderate). The wind is light and offshore from the WNW, so the surface would be clean. But the wave comment says it’s marginal, likely due to tide. It’s a reef break, so the long period should be a bonus here, but you’ll need to pick the right time. The afternoon is a total write-off with poor conditions and a messy cross-shore wind.

Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are a write-off with tiny, poor surf. The next flicker of hope comes on Saturday the 5th. The morning sees a jump to 5ft swell from the SSW, with a long 11-second period and a combined energy of 498 (moderate). The wind is a light cross-onshore though, so it won’t be glassy, but it’s rideable. The afternoon is similar. Still, the overall score is a low 1, so keep your expectations in check.

We get a few more days of marginal, small waves through Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th. The standout of the entire forecast, and the one to really circle on the calendar, is Tuesday the 8th. The morning shows a 4ft SSW groundswell with a 15-second period, but the combined energy rating jumps up to 1099 (strong!). The wind is light and offshore from the WNW. This is the best combination of size, energy, and clean conditions we’ll see. The afternoon is even chunkier with 4ft and a 12-second period, with energy hitting 1194 (strong), but the wind goes a little more onshore. For a reef break like Honokohau, that long-period groundswell with offshore wind is the dream ticket. This is the window.

Wednesday the 9th sees a bigger 5ft swell from the WSW, but the wind picks up to a gentle cross-onshore, making it choppy. The energy is still high at 1032 (strong), but the quality drops. After that, the second week fades out. From Thursday the 10th onward, it’s mostly small, poor, or marginal with a lot of cross-onshore wind. By Saturday the 12th, the swell size gets up to 8ft, but it’s short-period windswell (7 seconds) and the wind is messy. That’s too big for beginners and too lumpy for fun surfing. The last real chance is the afternoon of the 15th of September, with a 2ft, 20-second groundswell and energy of 326 (moderate), but it’s a risk t-storm day with cross-onshore winds.

Bottom line: The first week is lean. The real standout is the morning of Tuesday the 8th of September. That’s your best bet for clean, moderate groundswell with offshore winds at Honokohau Harbour. After that, the prospects get thin and the quality drops off hard.

Rusty.

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