Kewalos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here.

It’s a bit bleak on the 16-day outlook for Kewalos. We’re looking at a long dry spell with very little worth getting in the water for. The first week is a dud, and the only real opportunity comes right at the end of the period, so there’s a big gap of poor surf to endure.

Starting from now, the morning of August 18th, there’s squat. The swell is tiny, a weak 2ft from the south with a long period, but the energy is low and it’s called poor. The sessions all the way through to August 22nd are the same: small waves and marginal conditions. There’s a tiny window on the afternoon of August 20th with 2ft of long-period SSW groundswell (17 seconds) and light NE cross-offshore winds, making for clean conditions. But the swell is just too small to get your heart racing.

The wind is the real killer here. From August 23rd right through the end, the trades blow hard from the ENE—often a fresh breeze, sometimes a strong breeze, hitting 25-28 mph. It stays cross-offshore, so it looks clean, but the wave quality is terrible. The swell picks up, hitting over 7ft on August 23rd and 24th, but it’s short-period (7-8 seconds) windswell. The energy numbers climb into the moderate-to-strong range, but with that wind and short period, it’s blown-out and messy—for experienced surfers only, and it’s not inviting. Water temp is about average for this time of year.

Around August 30th and 31st, the swell backs off to 5ft to 4ft, and the period stretches to 10 seconds, hinting at some better groundswell. The wind eases a touch but is still a fresh breeze. Still, the marginal surf label sticks.

The only real standout is Kewalos on Thursday, August 20th. That afternoon, with 2ft of long-period SSW groundswell (17 seconds) and a light NE cross-offshore breeze, it’s the cleanest and most promising session of the whole run. The swell direction isn’t perfect, but the conditions are glassy and the energy is moderate. It’s a consistent wave, but expect crowds, as the "often" tag suggests. For most of us, this is the only window.

After that, it’s a long wait through the second week of strong trades and poor-quality windswell. There’s a hint of something cleaner around the 30th, but it’s a long-range promise. For this area, a quiet run like this is normal when the trades lock in.

Rusty.

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