Kewalos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Alright folks, let’s be straight with each other – this 16-day run at Kewalos is a bit of a mixed bag and there’s a lot of waiting ahead. We’ve got a nice long-period south swell limping in on Friday morning, but the winds are a solid cross-offshore 30 km/h from the ENE. The water is sitting at a warm 27°, about average for this time of year, but the swell is only 3 ft from the south with a 14-second period. That long period will give the reef some shape, but the wave state is just too poor to get excited about right now.

By Friday afternoon, the swell nudges to 3 ft, but it’s still a “marginal” call with that persistent ENE cross-off breeze. Nothing to rush for.

The weekend (Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th) drops into a short-period, windswell mess from the ENE at 5 ft to 7 ft, but with a period of only 6-7 seconds – that’s weak, crumbly stuff. The energy is moderate, sitting around 472 to 633, but the surf quality is poor. The wind stays fresh and cross-off. Not worth paddling out.

Monday the 31st through to Thursday the 3rd of September is much the same story: chest-high to slightly overhead windswell from the ENE, period slowly climbing to 8 seconds by Thursday. Combined energy climbs to the 700-900 range by Tuesday (moderate wave energy), but the wind stays cross-off and fresh at 30 km/h, and the surf quality never breaks out of that “marginal” zone. It’s been a long flat spell, but this is a stretch to sit out if you’re after clean lines.

The real standout is the setup on Friday the 4th of September. Morning brings a 6 ft ENE groundswell with a proper 11-second period, and the energy jumps to 1099 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is still cross-off from the NE at 30 km/h, but the quality is actually decent here. This is the first swell that shows some grunt. The afternoon bumps to 7 ft and 1222 energy. The direction is a bit off the optimum (SSE is preferred here, but ENE is what’s coming), but the combination of size and period makes this the best window in the entire outlook. This is your pick for the week.

Saturday the 5th stays punchy at 7 ft with a 10-second period and 1174 energy. Similar story Sunday the 6th (8 ft, 9-second period, 1454 energy). The wind remains cross-off but occasionally drops to a moderate 25 km/h breeze on Sunday morning. The size is getting into expert territory – over 8 ft from Monday the 7th onward – but the quality is still only “marginal” with that wind direction. For experts only.

Now, look ahead to Tuesday the 8th of September. The wind finally shifts to offshore: NNE at 25 km/h in the morning and N at 30 km/h in the afternoon. That’s a major positive. The swell is 8-8 ft from the ENE with an 8-9 second period and combined energy of 1206-1285. This is the cleanest surf of the entire run. The direction isn’t perfect, but offshore wind at Kewalos is rare. If you’re an experienced surfer, mark Tuesday the 8th – it’s your day.

Wednesday the 9th gets messy with a risk of thunderstorms and 45-50 km/h ENE winds. Forget it. Thursday the 10th drops to 6 ft ENE with a moderate 20 km/h cross-off, but by afternoon it goes cross-shore from the ESE and the energy halves. Not worth it.

The final weekend (Friday 11th to Saturday 12th) sees onshore wind from the SSE and S, blowing at 15-25 km/h. Swell is 5-7 ft from the east with an 11-second period, but the wind is right onshore. The surf is poor. That’s the end of the line.

So, the standout: Tuesday the 8th of September, early morning. Offshore wind, solid 8 ft ENE swell, and clean conditions. That’s the one to pencil in. The Friday the 4th window is also a good runner-up for size and period.

I won’t lie, there are long gaps here – a solid week of marginal junk from Saturday the 29th through Thursday the 3rd. But stick it out for that offshore window.

Rusty.

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