Laniakea Reef and Holtons Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the North Shore stretch around Laniakea Reef and Holtons. Gotta be straight with you—this one’s a slow burner.

We’re starting off with a real lean spell. From Sunday, September 6th, right through the first week, the surf is mostly flat or tiny. We’re talking ankle-snappers at best, with a lot of days in the 0.7 ft to 3 ft range. The wind is blowing cross-off from the east most of the time, which keeps the surface clean, but there just isn’t any push behind it. The combined energy is weak, often under 100 (11 to 248), so it’s a lot of sitting and waiting for a dribble. The water temperature is sitting at a balmy 80°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so at least you won’t be cold while you’re waiting.

Tuesday, September 8th, sees a bit of a bump, with a 7 ft swell from the SW, but the period is short at 10 seconds. The energy jumps up (883), but it’s coming in cross-off from the S and SSW, so it’s not going to be clean. It’s a marginal, bumpy mess. Not worth paddling out for.

The real standout, and the one that has me a little excited, falls on Sunday, September 20th. That morning, we’ve got a clean 2 ft swell from the W with a nice long period of 13 seconds (groundswell energy of 231). The wind is light from the east and gentle, so the surface should be glassy. The afternoon holds up too, with a similar 2 ft from the W, period up to 14 seconds, and still light east breezes. For a reef break like this, that long-period W swell is the sweet spot. It’s not huge, so it’ll be a fun, cruisy session for all levels. Keep in mind, this spot can get a crowd, so be ready to share.

The early morning of Monday, September 21st, also looks promising with light offshore winds from the SE and a 2 ft W swell, but the energy is lower (141). Still, it’s a clean option if you missed the Sunday session.

Don’t get your hopes up for the rest of the second week. There’s a lot of small, short-period NE windswell and some SW pulse energy that’s just too weak to get excited about. The 15th of September has a 2 ft swell from the SW with a very long 20-second period (254 energy), but that’s a tiny amount of water moving through.

So, bottom line: if you’ve got a board, save your energy for that Sunday, September 20th. That’s the day to be on the water. Everything else is a bit of a write-off.

Rusty.

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