Kiholo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for any real surf. We've got a long stretch of tiny, weak waves and a whole lot of nothing. Let's just get into it.

The entire 16-day window is a bust for any quality waves. We're looking at a solid stretch of flatness and close-outs from the get-go. The first real pulse of energy doesn't even show up until Monday the 17th, and even then, it's a messy, short-period swell that’s more about bump and chop than ridable waves. The energy jumps to a moderate 198 in that southwest swell, but with a period of just 6 seconds, it's all mush and no push. It’s the kind of day that looks more interesting for the kite surfers than for us paddle surfers.

Before that, we’ve got days of nothing. The swell stays tiny, mostly around 1ft, with the odd glassy window, like Wednesday afternoon the 12th and Sunday the 16th, but there’s just not enough water moving to make it worth paddling out. The energy readings are super low, often in the low 20s, and it's just a waiting game.

The only real, and I mean *only*, glimmer of hope comes much later, on Thursday the 20th of August. There's a long-period groundswell from the southwest, with a period of 18 seconds. This is the kind of swell that has real energy behind it, even if the height is only showing 1ft. The energy reading is a moderate 77, and it’s coming from the west-southwest. This is a promising sign for Kiholo Bay (Big Island), which is a beach and point setup that loves a west-northwest swell. The direction is close enough to its optimum that it could wrap in nicely. The morning looks clean, with a light west-northwest wind, but it's a cross-on breeze, so it won't be glassy. Still, this is the standout, the one to watch. But it's nine days out, so treat it as a promising possibility, not a certainty.

Honestly, the water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The main story is the lack of any real swell for the next week and a half. The surf is just poor, and the conditions are poor. Keep the board in the car, but don't hold your breath. This is a long stretch of flatness, and the only thing that looks remotely interesting is that long-period pulse on the 20th. It’s a long shot, but it’s the only shot we’ve got.

Stay tuned, and check back closer to the 20th. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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