Kiholo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for Kiholo Bay.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run. We're looking at a solid stretch where the surf just isn't cooperating. For the next week and a half, pretty much everything is marked as poor surf conditions, with very little wave energy to speak of. The combined energy values are mostly in the low double digits or even single digits (like 42, 14, 13), meaning there's just nothing behind these swells to get excited about. Our first real window of interest doesn't even show up until Friday morning, September 18th.

Let's talk about that one. On Friday the 18th, we get a pulse of swell from the SW, with a height of 1ft but a period of 18 seconds. That's a proper long-period groundswell, and it brings the combined energy up to 108 (moderate). The water temp is sitting at 82°F, which is about average for this time of year, with only a 1°F anomaly. Nothing too wild there.

Now, for that Friday the 18th morning, the wind is looking a bit cross-onshore from the NNW at 3 mph. It's not ideal, but it's light. The real standout, however, is the period. Anything over 15 seconds is very long, and while that means the waves will have shape and energy, it's a caveat for this beach-and-point setup. Long-period SW swell can be a bit tricky here, tending to close out or break too straight unless you're on the point. But for the afternoon of the 18th, the wind goes glassy from the N at 3 mph, which is a major positive for clean conditions. The swell does drop back to 0.7ft from the W by then, so it's a short-lived window.

If you're going to pick a time to paddle out in this entire 16-day outlook, the afternoon of Friday, September 18th, at Kiholo Bay is your best and honestly only real shot. The glassy conditions will make the most of that tiny swell. The rest of the period is a write-off. We've got days with zero swell energy, and any other pulses (like on the 19th with a 1ft, 16-second swell) are still marked as poor conditions, likely due to onshore winds or just not having the right direction.

So, keep your expectations low. This is a long blank run for the area. It tends not to stay this flat forever, but for now, it's a waiting game.

- Rusty

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