Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the menu for Ma'alaea over the next couple of weeks.

Alright, folks, this is a bit of a slow burn. We've got a solid run of very clean, glassy mornings coming up in the short term, but the swell is small. We're looking at a long stretch of small, clean conditions, with a real uptick in energy and quality building through the second week. The standout here is definitely the period from the 22nd of July onwards, when the south swell really finds its groove.

First off, Thursday morning the 16th, things are looking tidy. The water is a pleasant 79.3°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. We've got a tiny 2ft groundswell from the SSW, with a very long 16-second period. The wind is glassy from the WSW, which is a great sign for an early session. The energy is moderate (350). It's small, but it'll be clean.

Friday morning the 17th is even smaller, with a 1.3ft SW swell, but the wind is glassy again. The energy is weak (157). Saturday morning the 18th flirts with a different vibe – a 5ft short-period easterly windswell, but it's only 6 seconds. That's a messy, weak wave (264) and not really worth the paddle.

Then we hit a bit of a dry spell. Sunday through Tuesday morning is all small, clean conditions, but the waves are just not there. The energy is moderate at best, topping out around 376 on Monday morning. Tuesday morning the 21st is glassy with a 2.6ft, 14-second period S swell, but it's still very small.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd of July are your real standouts. The swell direction is SSW, which is the optimum direction for this spot. The swell is still small, around 1.6ft to 2.3ft, but the period gets very long—24 seconds on Wednesday morning and 20 seconds on Thursday. The wave energy is strong (555 and 573). The wind is glassy and light. This is a point break, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in beautifully. The only downside is that Ma'alaea is an advanced, inconsistent reef break, and it can get crowded. But if you're on it, these mornings will be magic.

The 24th, 25th, and 26th of July see the energy spike even higher, with values of 673, 956, and 580. The swell holds around 2.6ft to 3ft from the SSW, with periods of 17-19 seconds. The wind is cross-off, keeping it clean. The energy is very strong, making this a proper window of quality surf. Just be aware that the 25th afternoon gets a 30km/h cross-off wind, which will blow it out, so stick to the mornings.

The very end of the month, from the 28th of July onwards, the energy drops right back down to weak levels (152 and below) as the swell fades out. It's back to being very ordinary.

So, to keep it short: the first week is clean but small. The second week, from the 22nd to the 26th of July, is where the magic happens. Small, but very long-period, clean SSW groundswell with strong energy. That's your window.

Read more