Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna level with you – the next 16 days at Hulihee Palace (Kona) are a real mixed bag. We’ve got a long period, very long period groundswell pushing in from the SSW, but the sizes are small and the conditions are finicky. The water temp is sitting at 82°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

We kick off on Monday, August 31st. The morning is tiny, only 1ft of 18-second SSW swell. The combined energy is weak (278). It’s light offshore from the WSW, but the forecast says it’s marginal. The afternoon stays small at 2ft with a 19-second period, still low energy (303), but the wind goes cross-onshore. Not much to write home about.

Tuesday, September 1st, is a little better. The swell edges up to 3ft from the SSW, with a long 18-second period, and the energy jumps into the moderate range (571). The morning has a light cross-on breeze, but it’s still considered marginal. The afternoon is similar, 3ft at 18 seconds (560), with a cross-shore wind. It’s surfable, but not great.

Wednesday, September 2nd, we hit 3ft from the S, 16-second period, moderate energy (530). The morning has a light offshore, but it’s still a “marginal” call. The afternoon drops a touch to 3ft (402). Still small, still not firing.

Then, on Thursday, September 3rd, we get a little glimmer. The afternoon sees 4ft from the S, 13-second period, moderate energy (436), and the wind goes glassy. That’s the cleanest it’s going to get for a while. It’s a small window, but if you’re keen, that’s your best bet.

Friday, September 4th, the swell bumps up to 5ft from the S (11 seconds) and then SSW (11 seconds), with moderate energy (650 and 658). But the wind is onshore both morning and afternoon. This is beach and reef setup, and with those onshore winds, it’s going to be choppy. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

From Saturday, September 5th, through to Tuesday, September 15th, it’s a long, slow grind. The swell drops back to 4ft and below, and the combined energy is mostly in the low to moderate range (459 down to 157). The winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore, with a few glassy moments on the 10th afternoon (2ft, 188 energy) and the 15th morning (2ft, 246 energy). But the surf is tiny, and the forecasts are calling it “poor” or “marginal” for most of that stretch. The 7th and 8th of September have a bit more energy (724 and 593), but the wind is messy.

So, the standout is that Thursday, September 3rd afternoon. It’s the only time the stars align with a glassy wind and a little bit of swell. After that, it’s a waiting game. The consistent, long-period SSW swell direction is there, but the size just isn’t doing the work. If you’re not desperate, give it a miss.

Rusty.

Read more