Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, it's Rusty here, and I'm looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it's a bit of a tough one to call right now. We've got a lot of days ahead, but the immediate picture is pretty grim. The wind is just stuck in a bad spot, blowing strong and cross-shore, making a mess of everything that comes through.

For the whole first week, from Monday, July 6th right through the following Monday, July 13th, we're looking at a constant cross-shore breeze, mostly a fresh 16 to 22 mph. While there is some swell in the water, around the 7 ft mark, it's short-period windswell with a period of only 6 to 8 seconds. Combined with that wind, everything is going to be lumpy, chopped out, and basically unsurfable. The combined energy is pretty moderate, ranging from about 400 to over 600, but it's all messy energy with no shape. You'd be a glutton for punishment to even bother paddling out. Honestly, a spot like Honokohau, with that wind and swell setup, looks more interesting for a kite session than a paddle surf.

There is a bit of a reprieve starting around Tuesday, July 14th. The winds are still cross-shore, but they drop to a moderate 16 mph breeze. The swell eases back to a smaller 5ft to 6ft, but it's still short-period windswell. It's going to be average, but at least the chop won't be as brutal. We're still calling it poor surf conditions each day though. This average, choppy trend looks like it will hang around until Sunday, July 19th.

Now, for the one spot we've got to work with: Honokohau. It's a reef and point break that's fairly exposed, and it's a consistent spot. The water temp is 80°F, which is about 1°F warmer than usual, so basically normal for this time of year. The problem is, the optimum swell for this spot comes from the North, but for nearly this entire outlook, the swell is coming out of the East or East-North-East. That's a real mismatch. Combine that with the constant cross-shore winds, and we just can't get any quality.

If you look really hard at the very tail end, things might not be quite as awful. Around Monday, July 20th and Tuesday, July 21st, the swell drops right down to 4ft-5ft, and the wind is only a moderate 16 mph breeze from the ENE. But the period is down to 6-7 seconds, and the energy has dropped to around 240. It's still poor and cross-shore. There's no standout window here, nowhere to get excited about. It's a long, blank stretch of poor conditions for the entire 16-day window. For an area with a break that's usually consistent, this is a real downer, but these blank runs do happen. We can only hope the forecasts change and bring something better.

Stay tuned,
Rusty

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