Hulihee Palace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checkin’ in with the local surf outlook for Hulihee Palace. Let’s cut through the noise and see what we’ve got.

Alright, look, straight up – this is gonna be a tough stretch. The next week and a half are mostly a write-off with small, weak surf. We’re looking at a long gap of poor to marginal conditions until we get a serious pulse of energy right at the end. The first real wave of note doesn’t show until the second week.

Let’s start with what’s happening now. Through the first weekend (August 8th and 9th) and into the following week, it’s a battle. Swell is tiny, around 1 ft to 2 ft from the S and SSW, with a decent period (14-18 seconds) which would normally be tasty, but there’s just no size to back it up. The combined energy is weak, sitting in the low to mid 200s, so you’re looking at barely a ripple. The winds are mostly light and onshore or cross-onshore, so it’s not even clean. A few sessions show glassy conditions on Thursday afternoon August 13th, with a 4 ft SSW swell (15-second period, combined energy of 817 – moderate), but the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions” for that one. That’s the one little spark in the first week, but it’s a brief window.

The real story happens on Saturday, August 15th in the afternoon. This is the standout. Hulihee Palace gets a big pulse of swell from the S at a solid 10 ft, but the period is a short 9 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell. The combined energy spikes to 1459 (strong), so there’s plenty of juice. The wind is cross-offshore from the NE at 12 mph, which should keep it pretty clean. But here’s the catch: 10 ft is big. For a reef break, that’s expert territory only. This is not a day for beginners. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the size and short period. The water temp is around 81°F, about 2°F warmer than normal for this time of year – a little warmer than usual, but nothing crazy.

After that, the swell drops off fast. Sunday August 16th is a write-off with fresh cross-shore winds making a mess of things. The rest of the month looks like a long, flat spell with tiny 1 ft to 2 ft swells and poor conditions. We’re talking gaps of several days with no real surf on offer. The guidance says the break is “very consistent,” so this blank run is a bit of a surprise, but it happens.

So, your best bet is to circle Saturday afternoon, August 15th at Hulihee Palace. If you’re a seasoned charger and can handle a solid 10 ft on the reef with a clean cross-offshore, that’s your window. For everyone else, keep the board in the car and wait for the next set of forecasts.

Rusty, signing off.

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