Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the Kona side.

This is a tricky stretch ahead, to be honest. The swell energy is going to be in the moderate to strong range for a few days early on, but the quality just isn’t there for a proper paddle session. The winds and the wave conditions are fighting us most of the time. There’s a long gap of poor surf that starts to settle in around the 10th of September, and it stays pretty flat and underwhelming for a solid week and a half after that.

The only real standout window is the very beginning. Let’s start with Sunday, the 6th of September.

Hulihee Palace (Big Island) is your best bet, and it’s not a perfect bet. On Sunday morning, we’ve got a 5ft SW swell rolling in with a 12-second period, giving us a moderate wave energy reading of 633. The wind is light, coming from the west, which is actually offshore for this spot. That’s a major positive, keeping things clean. The water temp is sitting at a very normal 82°, pretty much average for this time of year. The catch? It’s a risk of thunderstorms, and the overall call is marginal. But clean, offshore lined-up waves on a very consistent reef break are hard to ignore. The best session will be early.

By Sunday afternoon, the wind swings to a light cross-onshore, and the wave energy jumps up to 999, but it gets a bit bumpy and the quality drops. Still, if you’re itching for a wave, the morning is the window.

From Monday the 7th, the swell starts to get a little too long in the tooth. That 3ft to 4ft SSW swell has a period of 16 to 17 seconds, which is long-period groundswell. The energy is high (1244 to 1448), but the wind is mostly cross-onshore. This long period stuff can be tricky at a reef break, making the waves a bit too straight and fat, but it’s still surfable.

After that, the story turns grim. From Wednesday the 9th onwards, the swell drops off a cliff. We’re talking 2ft to 3ft for most of that week, with weak energy numbers (down to 99 in the end). The wind stays mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the reports are all "poor surf conditions" or "marginal." There’s a quick moment on Sunday the 13th in the afternoon where the wind goes glassy, but the swell is only 1ft with a 15-second period. That’s barely enough to push a foam board along.

The second week, from the 14th of September onward, is a write-off. The waves stay tiny, mostly 0.7ft to 2ft, and the energy is weak. Even though the period gets very long (up to 23 seconds), there’s no power behind it. It’s a flat spell for all intents and purposes. The forecasts might change, but right now, it’s a long blank run.

So, if you’re going to paddle out, make it Sunday morning, the 6th of September, at Hulihee Palace. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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