Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the Kona side over the next couple of weeks. Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a mixed bag – plenty of days where it’s just not worth paddling out, but there are a few windows that could surprise you if you’re patient.

The main spot in the picture is Hulihee Palace (Big Island). It’s a consistent reef break that loves a good SSW swell, and right now the water is sitting at a balmy 82°F, which is about average for this time of year.

First up, on Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd of September, the surf is tiny – around 3ft. Sure, that long-period groundswell (18 seconds) has some energy (571) but the conditions are described as marginal. Not worth getting wet for, really.

We roll into Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th and the swell starts nudging up. Thursday afternoon sees 4ft from the south (503), and by Friday we’re looking at 5ft from the SSW (690). Still, the wind is cross-on or onshore, messing with the face. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those days.

Saturday the 5th is much the same story – 4ft of SSW swell but with a light cross-on breeze. It’s ridable for a confident intermediate, but it’s not clean.

There’s a flash of something on Sunday the 6th afternoon – the swell drops to 2ft but it’s a SSW groundswell with a very long period of 19 seconds (622). That’s a deep-ocean pulse, but at a reef like Hulihee, that long period could make the sets a bit sporadic and the take-off a bit straight. You’d need to pick your moment.

The real standout? You have to wait for Tuesday the 8th of September. The afternoon session shows 4ft from the WSW (1154) with an offshore wind from the west. That’s the best combo we see in this whole run – clean faces, moderate energy, and a proper reef line-up. This is your session, no question.

After that, it gets a bit messy. Wednesday the 9th still has some size (5ft) but the wind is cross-on again. By Thursday the 10th it fades to barely a ripple, and we hit a long quiet stretch from the 10th through to the 15th with poor conditions and tiny surf.

There is one more big spike on Saturday the 12th of September – morning sees a heavy 10ft of short-period (8 seconds) SSW swell (1148). That’s only for expert surfers, and with that quick period it’ll be a washing machine even on the reef. I’d sit that one out.

So, the pick of the fortnight is Tuesday the 8th of September afternoon at Hulihee Palace. Clean offshore wind, chest-to-shoulder high WSW swell, and that classic Big Island reef. Be there.

Rusty

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