Kewalos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, let's talk about the next couple of weeks. We've got one option on the table: Kewalos. It's a solid, consistent reef break, but we're fighting the wrong swell direction. It wants a SSE swell, but we're getting hammered by a persistent ENE windswell. The water's a warm 81°, which is dead average for this time of year, so that's a plus.

The whole thing starts off slow. From Monday, August 31st, through Thursday, September 3rd, it's a mix of marginal and poor conditions. We're looking at 7 ft to 8 ft of short-period, wind-driven swell (7-8 seconds), with moderate energy. The wind is a cross-offshore fresh breeze, so the faces are clean, but the wave quality is off. It's a lot of work for a crummy wave.

Friday, September 4th, sees the swell peak at 10 ft in the morning, pushing strong energy, but it's still that same short-period junk. The wind is a strong breeze, making it bumpy and wild. At that size and quality, it's really for experts only, and honestly, it looks more like a kitesurfing session than a good surf.

The weekend of September 5th and 6th is a little better. The swell drops to 8-8 ft, but the period stretches out to 13-14 seconds. That's a real groundswell, and the energy is strong to very strong. The wind is still a fresh cross-off. The waves will have more power, but the direction is still wrong. It's a marginal call, but the Saturday afternoon with a 15 mph moderate breeze and Sunday morning might offer a few more lined-up waves.

The standout is Monday, September 7th. The swell is 8 ft with a 12-second period, and the wind swings to a moderate NNE breeze, going offshore. That's the cleanest wind we've seen. The energy is strong. The forecast calls it "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." This is the day. The offshore wind will make the most of that ENE groundswell, giving you clean, powerful walls at the reef. Expect crowds to be likely.

After that, it's a total wipeout. Tuesday, September 8th, drops to 3 ft with a southerly wind shift and thunderstorms. A complete loss. From the 9th to the 15th, it's a slow, painful fade into flatness, with swell dropping from 7 ft all the way down to 2 ft, and energy levels dropping to weak. The wind stays a fresh or strong cross-off, keeping the tiny leftovers clean but useless.

Bottom line: if you have to pick a day, make it Monday the 7th. The weekend before might have some grunt, but it's a gamble. The rest of the month is a long, flat spell.

- Rusty

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