Honokohau Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s cut to the chase. The next couple of weeks is a real test of patience. There's swell on the horizon, but the wind is going to be our main enemy for most of it. We're not looking at a single, perfect, glassy day.

The first shot we have is this Sunday, the 16th. The swell is coming down from a messy 12ft on Saturday, to a more manageable 8ft. Winds will be cross-offshore from the ESE at 35 km/h, so it’s not clean, but it’s got some push. The energy is moderate, around 2135 in the morning, and it fades to 911 by the afternoon. Periods are short, around 8-9 seconds. It’s surfable, but it’s not what you’d call a classic. You’ll earn your waves.

Monday the 17th is a no-go. The wind stays fresh from the east and the swell backs off to 7ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, with a weak 7-second period. It’ll be soft and crumbly.

Then we hit the flat spell. From Tuesday the 18th through the 22nd, the ocean goes to sleep. We’re talking waves in the 0.7ft to 4ft range, mostly wind slop. The energy readings are in the low hundreds or double digits. It's just dead. A couple of days around the 23rd and 24th show a slight bump, but it's right back to that messy cross-shore chop, so it's not worth a mention.

Now, for the one that has my attention: the end of the month. Around Thursday the 27th and into Friday the 28th, the swell builds again. We’re looking at 8ft to 10ft from the east, with the period stretching out to 9-10 seconds. The energy jumps right back into the strong range (1100-1582). This could be the highlight, but it’s over a week away, so treat it as promising, not guaranteed. The wind is still forecast to be a fresh cross-shore from the ENE though, which will chop it up. At that size, it’s experts only.

For the break, Honokohau (Big Island) is a reef and point. It's a consistent spot, but its optimum swell direction is from the north, and we're getting all east. It’s fairly exposed, so that cross-shore wind will be a factor. With waves over 5ft, it's not for beginners, and those 10ft+ days are serious. On the biggest, windiest days, the kite surfers will be having a field day, but for us paddle surfers, it might be a bit of a beating. Water temp is about normal for the season.

So, there you have it. We surf the small window on Sunday and keep our fingers crossed for the end of the month. Hang loose.

Rusty.

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