Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again, and we'll do this in feet and miles per hour.

Let’s be straight with you: this stretch of the 16-day window looks pretty average for our zone here at Honokohau. This is a reef and point set-up that likes a good north swell, but what we’re getting is a lot of east-northeast wind and messy cross-shore conditions.

Honokohau is a consistent reef and point that can handle swell, but presently it’s caught in a pattern of fresh cross-shore breeze and lumpy, bumpy surf. The water temp is sitting at about 80°F, which is basically where we'd expect it this time of year—no surprises.

For the next several days, right through the end of July into early August, there’s a real drought of quality surf. You'll see some chest-to-head-high swell, around 6 feet in places, but the period is short (just 6 to 8 seconds), and that moderate wave energy—combined numbers between 289 and 542—gets wrecked by the consistent trade winds.

Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are total write-offs: 18-22 mph easterlies, cross and cross-off. The ocean will be choppy and bumpy. Not worth wetting a suit.

Over the weekend (25th-26th July), Saturday still has 18-22 mph cross-winds. Swell size hangs around 6 feet, but the period pushes to 8 seconds on Saturday, giving the waves a little more push—still messy, though. Sunday bumps the period to 14 seconds—proper groundswell, but only about 3-4 feet tall, and the cross-wind kills the shape.

Monday the 27th: we get a decent kick as swell hits 7 feet by afternoon (period 13 seconds, combined energy 1511). That's moderate-to-strong energy, but the wind is still cross-shore, and it's described as "fresh cross-shore with lumpy cross-chop." Plenty of water moving, but it's ugly.

Now for the one highlight: Wednesday the 29th morning shows real hope. Swell hits 8 feet (energy 1374) with a period of 10 seconds, and critically, the wind goes light cross-off from the ESE at just 9 mph. That means clean faces. Honokohau will groom the ENE groundswell into proper lines. That afternoon, it drops to around 7 feet but stays clean with a gentle sea breeze. If you can work the tide, there will be some good ones. 8 feet is big for beginners, but for experienced surfers the clean conditions make it golden. This is your standout day—the best shot in the whole outlook. Just keep in mind it's about a week away, so the picture could shift a little.

After Wednesday the 29th, it’s back to the grind. From the 30th of July through to the 7th of August, we’re stuck under 15 to 25 mph trade winds, with swell between 3 to 7 feet, short period, and messy faces. There’s a small peak around Tuesday the 5th of August with about 7-foot swell and an 11-second period, but it's still cross-shore. Nothing really clean.

Overall, don't rush out for the first week and a half unless you like bumpy, challenging conditions. Wednesday the 29th is your clear window for clean, solid surf at Honokohau. Keep a close eye on it.

Rusty

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