Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the forecast is a bit of a mixed bag for Honokohau. We’re looking at a lot of onshore wind and choppy conditions for the first week and a half, but there’s a real glimmer of hope right at the end of the window.

The setup is a reef and point break, which usually handles a bit of swell well, but it's fairly exposed. The water temp is sitting at 80° right now, which is bang on average for this time of year.

So, we’ve got a bit of a quiet start. From Sunday the 30th of August right through to the 8th of September, it’s mostly messy. We’ve got a consistent ENE wind blowing 18 to 25 mph, which is creating a lumpy cross-chop. The swell is there, building from 5 ft up to 12 ft, but it’s short period (7-8 seconds) windswell. The combined energy gets up there, but the quality is just poor. A couple of afternoons on the 2nd and 4th of September look a bit cleaner, but it’s still marginal at best. Honestly, this stretch looks more interesting for the kite surfers than a paddle session.

Now, hold on to your leashes, because we’ve got a standout on the horizon. Wednesday the 9th of September is the day to circle. The morning is looking absolute magic. The wind drops to a slight 3 mph from the SE – that’s offshore for Honokohau (N). The swell is a solid 12 ft with a 9-second period, and the energy is pumping. The report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and I’m not gonna argue. That’s the pick of the whole forecast. The afternoon stays clean with a light cross-offshore breeze, still holding 10 ft. This is a classic setup for this point, with long, clean lines. It’s for the experienced crew only at that size.

Thursday the 10th of September is still good, with a cleaner 8 ft swell and light winds. A solid option for the intermediate surfer. After that, it fades back into the messy cross-shore wind pattern from the 11th to the 14th, with onshore winds picking back up to 15-22 mph, chopping up the 5 ft to 7 ft waves.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off for clean waves. The real standout is the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September. It’s a classic, powerful, clean day at Honokohau. Get excited.

Rusty.

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