James Kealoha Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a 16-day window for our little corner of the lineup, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The first few days have some clean, rideable waves on offer, but then we hit a wall of small, cross-onshore slop that’ll have you staring at your board for over a week. The real story, though, is the pulse of energy that shows up in the second week – that’s where the standouts are, even if they come with a few caveats.

For Sunday morning, we’re looking at James-Kealoha-Beach-Park (Big Island) with a 7ft E swell at 9 seconds. The energy is moderate (771), and while the wind is light, it’s cross, so it’s not going to be perfect. The water temp is 82°, which is a touch warmer than average – not a big deal. But the afternoon cleans up. The wind goes light cross-off, the swell drops just a touch to 7ft, and the report says to expect very good conditions.

Monday stays on the radar. Morning has a 7ft E swell, 8 seconds, with a moderate breeze from the ESE – cross-off, so it’s clean. The energy bumps up a bit (920). Afternoon drops to 6ft, but it still looks clean. This is about as good as the first few days get.

Then the wheels come off. From Tuesday the 25th through to the end of the month, the swell drops off to dribbly 5ft and below, the period shortens, and the wind stays cross-on from the NE. It’s poor. The energy just dies. This stretch lasts about six days with nothing worth paddling out for.

The first of September shows a little flicker of life. Tuesday the 1st, we get a 7ft ENE swell in the morning, and the wind swings to a moderate ESE cross-off. It’s looking clean (671 energy), but it’s flagged as marginal due to tide. The afternoon’s a bit smaller, 6ft, but still clean. Nothing special though.

The real event is early September. The 4th brings a building swell, and by the 5th we’ve got 8ft ENE groundswell with a period of 14 seconds. The energy is strong (2123). However, the wind is a gentle cross-on from the NNE, which isn’t ideal. It’s going to be a bit lumpy, but that’s a much bigger, more powerful wave. It’s pushing the size, a bit much for beginners, but a step up from the groveling we've had.

The standout I’d point you to is Monday the 7th. By then, we’re looking at a 8ft NE swell in the morning, period 12 seconds, and the wind is light from the NE – cross-on. Still not clean, but the energy is very strong at 2141. But the afternoon, that’s the one. The swell pushes up to 10ft from the NE with an 11-second period, the wind is a light cross-shore, and the energy is massive at 2387. That’s a strong, powerful swell hitting the reef. It’s expert territory for sure, too big for the average punter, but if you’re confident out there, that’s the session to circle on the calendar. It’s a long way out, but it has the size and the juice.

The other one to keep an eye on is the 5th and 6th. The 5th has 8ft and 8ft ENE swells with a 13-14 second period. Strong energy (2123, 1834), but the wind is just cross-on. It’s going to be a bit lumpy, but there’s power.

So there you have it. A clean start, a long flat-ish spell, and then a proper swell for the experts in the second week. The long-period stuff is at a reef break, so that’s a good match. Just be aware, with that much size on a reef, it’s a serious wave. Keep it on your radar, but don’t book the plane ticket just yet.

Rusty.

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