Honokohau Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

The next two weeks are pretty slim pickings. We’ve got a little bit of surf right at the start, but then it’s a long stretch of tiny, messy waves or flat conditions. The overall energy in the water is low, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore, which is gonna spoil the surface.

Saturday, July 25th starts off the best we’ll see. The morning is clear with a light cross-onshore breeze, but the swell is small at 2ft from the SSW, with a period of 20 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, so the waves will have real shape, but at a reef spot like this, that long period can make it a bit too straight. The combined energy is moderate at 868. The afternoon wind swings to the WNW and becomes directly onshore, but the swell bumps up to 4ft from the SSW, with an 18-second period, giving a combined energy of 910. This is the best session of the whole period. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no worries about a wetsuit.

Sunday, July 26th the swell drops back to 3ft from the SSW, period dropping to 16 seconds, and the wind is onshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon. The energy is moderate but falling fast (647 and 661). The surf is marginal.

Monday, July 27th morning is similar – 3ft, 15-second period, cross-onshore wind. But the afternoon is the real highlight: the wind goes glassy, completely offshore from the WNW at only 3 mph. The swell is still 3ft from the SSW, 14-second period, and the combined energy is 357. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions” – that glassy wind will make the reef clean and lined up. This is a genuine gem, but you’ll need to be on it quick.

From Tuesday, July 28th onward, it’s a long haul of poor surf. The wind turns cross-shore and picks up, the swell stays tiny, and the energy drops into the weak to moderate range. The combined energy falls from 353 down to just 15 towards the start of August. There are days with glassy or light wind, but the swell is simply too small – 1ft to 2ft – to get excited about. The period also drops into the short range on some days, like 5 to 7 seconds, which is just wind chop.

There’s a hint of something on Saturday, August 8th afternoon – the wind goes glassy again, with a 1ft swell from the SSW, 18-second period, but the energy is only 239. The surf is described as “surfable but very ordinary”. It’s not a stand-out.

Sunday, August 9th morning shows a slight uptick in energy to 311, but the swell is still only 2ft from the SW, 16-second period, with onshore wind. It’s still marginal.

So, the honest truth: the best of it is Saturday afternoon on the 25th, and the glassy Monday afternoon on the 27th. After that, you’re looking at a full 10 days of flat to poor surf. This is a classic summer lull for the area – it happens. The reef needs a proper push of swell to get going, and it’s just not there.

Keep an eye on the forecast, but for now, grab what you can on Saturday and Monday.

Rusty.

Read more