Kewalos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right. Let’s see what’s cooking for the next couple weeks. To be honest, the outlook for Kewalos is a bit of a grind. There are plenty of days with waves on offer, but the conditions are mostly calling it marginal, with the wind stuck in a cross-off regime that keeps the surface clean but never really lets things get good.

The first real standout I can get excited about is on Wednesday, September 2nd. Wednesday morning sees a solid pulse of swell, 7 ft from the ENE, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 1153 (moderate to strong wave energy), and the wind is a moderate cross-off at 15 mph, keeping it clean. This is the biggest swell of the run, but it’s going to be a handful for anyone but experienced surfers. The water temperature is 81° with an anomaly of +0.9°, so pretty average for this time of year. Kewalos (Big Island) is an exposed reef for advanced surfers only, and with that size, it’s going to be pushing hard, so it’s not a beginner-friendly spot.

Later on, the real gem shows up on Monday, September 7th. Monday afternoon the swell drops back to 3 ft, but it swings around from the SSW with a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s groundswell energy, and it’s paired with a light breeze at just 6 mph, making it glassy. The combined energy is 645 (moderate wave energy), and the forecast says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is a classic reef-break setup where the long period will wrap in nicely. It’s a clean, peaceful window. Crowds at Kewalos are often an issue, so a weekday afternoon like this might thin them out.

After that, Wednesday, September 9th looks promising again. Wednesday afternoon has 4 ft from the E at 11 seconds, light cross-off wind, and a similar “very good” call. That’s another smooth session in the making.

For most of the first week, you’re looking at daily waist-to-chest high ENE windswell, with periods under 8 seconds – short, bouncy, and messy despite the clean surface. There is a noticeable drop in quality on Saturday, September 5th morning when the wind goes cross-shore with a cross-chop, rated poor. Then Sunday, September 6th and Monday, September 7th morning get a taste of that long-period SSW groundswell, but the wind remains a bit more active, so it doesn’t clean up until that Monday afternoon.

The second week runs a bit thinner. There are only a few sessions with scores of 2 or better, and the standout is September 10th. Thursday afternoon has 5 ft from the E with a 12-second period and a very high combined energy of 1144 (strong wave energy). The wind is almost dead – a slight air at 3 mph – with only light cross-shore ripples. That’s a big, clean afternoon with plenty of push, but only for those comfortable with overhead surf at a reef.

Overall, the best windows are the afternoon of Monday the 7th, the afternoon of Wednesday the 9th, and the afternoon of Thursday the 10th. For the rest, you’ll be scratching for a corner if the tide lines up. Still, the consistency is there, so it never truly flatlines. Just got to pick your moments.

Rusty.

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