Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for the next couple of weeks.

Look, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one for Honokohau. The whole 16-day window is a real mixed bag of wind and swell that just never seems to line up. The pattern for the entire period is a persistent east-northeast trade wind that stays fresh to strong, and the swell is mostly short-period stuff from the east. It’s going to be a long wait for anything clean.

The outlook starts on the morning of August 18th. We’ve got some small E swell at 4 ft, but it’s short period at 8 seconds and the wind is howling out of the ENE at 25 km/h, making it a messy cross-shore chop. The combined energy is only moderate (201). This sets the tone for the whole first week. Every day through to the 22nd is the same story: small, short-period swell (3 ft to 5 ft, 7-8 seconds) with a constant cross or cross-on wind from the ENE or NE. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there. It’s just poor conditions with a cross-chop. You’d be wasting your time.

We get a bit of a spike in size starting on the 22nd of August, with 6 ft on Saturday morning, but the wind jumps to a fresh 35 km/h cross-shore. The energy is picking up though (322). By the afternoon of the 23rd, the swell hits 8 ft, period stretches to 11 seconds, and the energy jumps to a strong 1342. That’s a proper groundswell now, but it’s a real shame the wind is still a fresh 30 km/h cross-shore, making it a lumpy mess. The score is only a 1, meaning marginal. This is a classic case of “great swell, terrible wind.”

The 24th of August, Monday, is the one true standout. The swell is 8 ft from the east with a 9-second period, and for the first time, the wind goes cross-offshore from the east at 40 km/h. The conditions are described as “clean.” The energy is very strong (1026). This is big, powerful swell. At 8 ft, this is for experts only. The reef and point set-up at Honokohau should handle the long lines of the 9-second period well, but the size and that strong breeze will make it heavy. Crowds are possible here, as it’s often busy. If you’re an experienced surfer, this is the window – Monday morning, August 24th.

After that, from the 25th of August right through to September 2nd, we’re back to the same old story. The swell stays between 3 ft and 7 ft, but the wind is relentless – a fresh to strong cross-shore from the ENE at 25-40 km/h. The energy drops back down to moderate levels (as low as 128), and the period shortens right back to 6-8 seconds. It’s just lumpy, messy, poor surf day after day.

So, to sum it up: there is a massive gap of poor surf, then one big, clean, expert-only day on the 24th, then another long stretch of poor conditions. Honestly, with that much wind and chop, the setup on the beachier days looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Keep your eyes on the charts for the 24th, but don’t hold your breath for the rest.

Rusty.

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