Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright surfers, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at the 16-day stretch ahead for Hulihee Palace (Big Island). This is a reef break that’s very consistent and exposed for a good SSW swell. It’s a spot for intermediate crew. Water temps are sitting at 82°, which is about average for this time of year.

The pattern overall is a slow start with small, clean waves before a proper pulse of energy arrives in the second week. The early days offer knee-to-waist high waves with great conditions but not much push. The real standout looks like the second week of September.

Saturday, August 29th kicks things off with a tiny 2ft S swell at 13 seconds, but the wind is light offshore in the morning and glassy in the afternoon. Super clean, but the energy is weak (260). It’s a fun little log wave, nothing serious. Sunday the 30th drops even smaller to 1ft, with light cross-onshore winds making it a bit bumpy and marginal.

Monday August 31st through to Saturday September 5th stays small, mostly 1ft to 3ft, with a lot of light cross-onshore conditions. Some mornings have clean offshore wind (W), but the swell is too weak to get excited about. Energy values sit under 300 for most of this run.

The first real kick happens when we get to Monday, September 7th. The morning bumps to 2ft but the energy jumps to 553. Still not huge, but the wind is offshore and clean. By the afternoon, the swell builds to 5ft with a period of 11 seconds, and energy surges to 787. It’s still cross-onshore though, so expect some texture.

Tuesday, September 8th is the first true highlight. Morning sees 5ft S swell at 12 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore. However, the afternoon turns glassy with a 6ft SSW swell, and the energy hits a strong 1347. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. That’s a solid head-high wave with clean, glassy faces.

Wednesday, September 9th morning has 7ft SSW swell, but offshore wind keeps it clean. The afternoon is glassy again with 6ft SSW swell, and another excellent session is on the cards. This is the kind of quality where the reef will really start to work.

Thursday, September 10th is another big day. The morning has 7ft S swell, but the wind is offshore. The afternoon turns glassy with 7ft S swell, energy is 1197. This is expert territory—size and power, but very clean.

Friday, September 11th starts with a clean 6ft SSW swell, glassy conditions, and a period of 9 seconds. It’s still good for a solid session, but the energy drops to 588. The afternoon gets messy with a strong S wind and storms, so get it early.

From Saturday, September 12th onwards, the surf drops away quickly. The wind picks up from the south, bringing poor conditions and small swell (1ft to 2ft) for the rest of the period. The energy falls below 200, and it’s not worth paddling out.

The best bet of the whole run is Saturday evening (August 29th) for a tiny, clean log session, and Tuesday, September 8th afternoon and Wednesday, September 9th afternoon for the biggest, cleanest, most powerful waves of the 16 days. Those afternoons in early September are the ones to circle on the calendar.

Rusty.

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