Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Hulihee Palace.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week of August is a tough one. We’re looking at a lot of small, sloppy, and blown-out conditions. From Wednesday the 5th all the way through to Friday the 7th, it’s just poor surf with tiny, weak swells and onshore or cross-onshore winds. Not worth paddling out for. Then Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th are marginal at best, with the swell still struggling to get above 2 ft. The combined energy is weak, mostly under 300 (like 266 on Sunday morning), just not enough push.

But hold on, because Sunday afternoon, the 9th of August, is where we finally get a little glimmer. The wind drops to glassy, absolutely dead calm, and the swell holds at 2 ft from the S with a decent 16-second period. The combined energy bumps up to 272. It’s not going to be a world-beater, but with glassy conditions, that little reef at Hulihee Palace will be tidy and fun. That’s the best you’re going to get in the first stretch.

The real standout, though, is the following week. Monday the 10th is another gem. The swell picks up to 2 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, with a 15-second period, and the afternoon session is glassy again. The combined energy jumps to 321 – that’s moderate, solid energy for this spot. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The water temp is about average for this time of year around here, so no rubber needed if you’re brave, but a spring suit might be comfy for the dawn patrol.

From Tuesday the 11th into the weekend, the swell builds. We’re looking at 3 ft to 4 ft from the S and SSW, with periods in the 14-18 second range. The combined energy gets into the 400s and 700s (like 788 on Wednesday morning the 12th), which is moderate to strong energy. The catch is the wind stays mostly onshore or cross-onshore, so the surf will be a bit choppy and less clean. It’s still way better than that first week. For the more experienced crew, the 3 ft to 4 ft days with that long-period energy will have some grunt, but it’s not dialled in with the wind. The swell direction is SSW and S, and the optimum for Hulihee Palace is SSW, so that lines up perfectly. The break is very consistent, so you can expect waves to roll through.

The last few days, from the 17th to the 20th, the swell drops back down to 2 ft to 2 ft, but the period stretches out to 21 seconds on the 19th. That’s a very long period groundswell, which means clean, powerful lines on the reef, but the sets will be far apart. The energy is moderate (around 328-421), so if you’re patient and time it right, there’ll be a few good ones. The wind is mostly onshore, though, so not the cleanest.

Overall, the best on offer is the window from Sunday the 9th afternoon through to Monday the 10th. That’s the cleanest, most fun surf. After that, the swell is bigger but the wind is messy, so it’s a trade-off. If you’re a beginner, anything over 3 ft with that period might be a handful, so stick to the smaller, glassy days.

- Rusty

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