Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what Mother Nature is cooking up for us at Ma'alaea over the next couple of weeks.

Right now, it is a pretty quiet stretch. The swell is small and the energy is nothing to write home about. Things kick off on Monday afternoon with a small 2ft SSW groundswell rolling in at 13 seconds. The water is sitting at a typical 81°, just your average for this time of year. The wind is light and offshore out of the NNW, keeping the surface clean, but the combined energy is weak at 148. It’s surfable, but honestly, it is very ordinary. You probably aren’t paddling out for that.

The real standout, the one to put a star next to, is Tuesday morning, the 25th of August. We get a spike in swell energy with the combined total hitting 297, and a clean 5ft easterly swell. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNE, making for clean walls down the reef. This is when Ma'alaea starts to show its teeth. The period is a short 6 seconds though, so it will be a bit bouncy and less lined up than a long-period groundswell, but for the size and the conditions, this is your best bet in the whole forecast window. Crowds are possible here, so get there early.

That Tuesday afternoon picks up a bit more size at 5ft, but a cross-shore breeze makes it a bit bumpy. Wednesday the 26th sees the size drop back down to 2ft with a pretty long 14-18 second groundswell from the south. The winds stay favorable and offshore, keeping things clean, but the wave height is tiny for such a long period. You’ll be waiting for a long time between waves.

Thursday morning on the 27th looks decent with a 3ft S swell and good cross-offshore wind, and the combined energy is a solid 625. The conditions will be clean, but again, it’s small. Friday the 28th follows a similar pattern, holding 3-3ft from the south with clean conditions, but nothing that blows the roof off.

We hit another small glassy window on Sunday the 30th and into Tuesday the 1st of September. Tuesday morning the 1st of September is actually one of the cleaner slots, with a 2ft SSW groundswell at a very long 18 seconds, glassy wind, and combined energy of 282. Those long-period swells at Ma'alaea can produce some beautiful, walling lines, but with only 2ft on offer, it will be small and inconsistent.

The rest of the first week of September plods along with small southerly swell and clean conditions, but the 3rd of September Thursday afternoon shows a brief flare. We see 6ft from the east with a short period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 340, with a clean cross-offshore breeze.

The outlook takes a real hit after that. The morning of the 4th of September gets hammered by 22 mph winds, and by the afternoon that jumps up to a nasty 34 mph from the NE with heavy rain. With the small swell and the wind howling, it won't be pretty. Paddle surfing is off the menu, and honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Towards the end of the run, the wind calms down and the glassy conditions return around the 5th and 6th of September. There is a small 2ft SSW groundswell with good periods, but the energy levels are moderate at best. The last few days on the 7th and 8th are clean and glassy, but again, we are dealing with small surf.

To be blunt, there isn't a single day in this 16-day window that I’d call a proper stand-out session. The one to circle is Tuesday morning, August 25th, when the combination of 5ft easterly swell and clean cross-offshore wind gives you the most rideable surf. The long-period SSW swells that follow are clean but small.

Stay patient, keep your eyes on the horizon, and check back in.

Rusty

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