Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is a tough one to call. I’m looking at the whole 16-day window for Honokohau, and honestly, the surf is just not happening. We’ve got waves in the water, but the wind is a total deal-breaker for most of the run.

The overall pattern is a persistent, strong trade wind setup. From now right through the first week of August, we’re looking at a fresh to strong breeze out of the ENE, clocking in at 22 mph down to 12 mph. That’s blowing straight across the break, making for lumpy, cross-chop conditions. It’s just ugly. There’s a decent amount of swell energy around, with combined energy figures in the moderate range (843 to 957), but it doesn’t matter when the wind is wrecking the surface.

Honokohau is a reef and point, and it’s consistent, but with this wind, it’s a no-go. There are a couple of mornings where the wind goes cross-offshore, like Saturday morning, August 1st. That gives us clean conditions with an 8-ft east swell at 8 seconds. The energy is moderate (957), but the period is short, so it’s going to be a bit fat and mushy. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

The best of a bad bunch is probably the Saturday, August 1st morning session. It’s the only time in the first week where the wind is clean and the swell is solid. But with that 8-ft east swell, it’s getting into the size range that’s a bit much for beginners. The short period means it won’t have much punch.

After that first week, we drop into a period of smaller swell and still messy wind. By Tuesday, August 4th, the swell drops to 6-ft, but the period stretches to 11 seconds, which is a nice groundswell. The energy is still moderate (645), but the wind is still cross-shore. It’s a slight improvement, but still poor.

The second week is a real drag. The swell energy drops right off, down to the 200-300 range. The wind stays on it. There’s a tiny window on Wednesday afternoon, August 12th, where a 5-ft swell at 7 seconds meets a cross-offshore breeze, giving us clean conditions. It’s marginal, but it’s the best we’ll see in the back half.

Then the period ends with a weird shift. On Friday, August 14th, the swell drops to 1.0-ft from the west with a very long 17-second period, and the energy is weak (93). That’s a tiny, slow, long-period groundswell that will barely break on a reef and point. It’s a ghost.

So, here’s the bottom line: Don’t get your hopes up. The 16-day window is mostly a bust. The one standout, if you’re desperate, is Saturday morning, August 1st at Honokohau for a clean, 8-ft east swell. It’s not great, but it’s the only game in town. The rest of the time, the wind is just too strong. This is a classic case of "the trades are howling," and for a spot like this, it’s a write-off. For most of the month, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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