Keaulanas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, this is Rusty. Looks like the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag here. We’ve got a window of cleaner, more organised swell mid-week, but the first few days are pretty average, and there’s a long quiet gap after that before the next pulse arrives. Let’s get into it.

For Keaulanas (Big Island) – water temps are sitting at a balmy 82°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, only a touch above the long-term average.

Right now, Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th morning are a write-off. The swell is small at 2 ft to 2 ft from the SSW, and with a cross-off ENE breeze it’s just messy and weak – combined energy is only 277 to 380. Not worth paddling out for.

But on Wednesday afternoon the 26th, things start to turn. We get a bump in swell to 3 ft from the S, a very long 18-second period groundswell, and the wind goes offshore. The combined energy jumps to 530 and the waves should be clean and have proper shape. Thursday the 27th is the standout of this first run – morning sees a solid 4 ft from the S, 17-second period, with offshore ENE winds (12 mph). Energy is pumping at 786. This is clean, well-shaped swell that a solid intermediate can have a ball on. Thursday afternoon holds at 3 ft, still offshore, still good.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th drop off again – smaller, less consistent, and the wind flickers cross-off. It’s not terrible, but not worth going out of your way for. Combined energy drops to the 300-400 range. The whole week from Sunday the 30th through the following Saturday the 5th September is a long, flat, windy gap. Swells barely nudge 2 ft, the combined energy sinks as low as 54, and even when the wind is offshore, the waves lack any punch. Just leave the board in the car.

Now, we get a late pulse around Sunday the 6th September afternoon. Swell bumps to 3 ft from the SSW, 17-second period, with a gentle breeze (9 mph) and a risk of thunderstorms – combined energy stomps up to 815. The guidance calls it very good surf. It’s promising, but it’s over a week away so keep an eye on it. Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th hover around 3 ft to 4 ft, all from the SSW with cross-off winds, and energy stays in the 580-1027 range. Nothing else in that window matches the Thursday high point.

Then Wednesday the 9th September (still over a week out) brings another very good afternoon: 3 ft from the SSW with a super long 19-second period, strong energy at 763, and a light ESE breeze. Could be clean and lined up, especially if the storms stay away. That, with the Thursday 27th, are the two true standouts across the whole run.

Crowds? Keaulanas gets ‘sometimes’ busy on the good days, so if you hit the Thursday morning or the Sunday/Monday of the second week, expect company, especially on clean, long-period groundswell. That sort of super-long-period swell tends to wrap better into reef and point setups, and while Keaulanas is a beach-and-reef mix, the current should help keep things from breaking too straight.

Overall, Thursday the 27th is the clear winner – snappy, clean, offshore, and solid energy. The rest of the first week is patchy; the second week has potential but it’s a long way out. Don’t hold your breath too hard on the late stuff.

Rusty.

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