Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gonna break down the next couple of weeks for us, focusing on Ma'alaea. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get into it.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a long stretch of small, pretty ordinary surf. For the first few days, from Friday the 7th right through to Tuesday the 11th, we’re looking at tiny waves. The swell is a paltry 1ft to 2ft, coming from the SSW with a weak combined energy reading (125 to 417). The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no need to worry about a wetsuit. Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for most of this unless you’re desperate for a splash. The morning of Monday the 10th has a little cross-off wind and a clean look, but the swell is just too small to get excited about.

Things start to perk up on Wednesday the 12th, though. The morning session offers the first real glimmer of hope. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the S, with a solid period of 18 seconds, giving a moderate combined energy of 574. The wind is light and cross-off from the NNE, making for clean conditions. This is the best we’ve seen so far, but the swell is still small. This ride continues into Thursday the 13th morning with a 3ft S swell and a 16-second period, with clean conditions again. By Friday the 14th morning, we’re still looking at a clean 3ft S swell, but the energy is dropping.

We then hit another slump. From Saturday the 15th through to Tuesday the 18th, the swell drops back to 2ft to 2ft, and the winds get stronger, making for pretty poor conditions. The afternoon of the 15th is a write-off with rain showers and a cross-shore chop.

Now, here’s the standout for the whole outlook. Mark your calendars for Friday the 21st of August. The morning session is looking proper. We’ve got a 2ft swell from the SW, but with a very long period of 19 seconds, giving it a moderate energy of 320. The real kicker is the wind: absolute glass, dead calm. This is as clean as it gets. This long-period groundswell is ideal for a reef setup like Ma'alaea, giving it shape and power. The consistency is a bit of a worry, but when it’s that clean, and the swell direction matches the S optimum, it’s the only game in town. The build-up continues into Saturday the 22nd morning, with a 2ft SW swell, a 17-second period, and flat calm, glassy conditions again. That’s a solid 389 energy reading.

Overall, the first week is a write-off, with a brief window of small but clean surf from the 12th to the 14th. The real magic is on the 21st and 22nd, with that long-period SW groundswell and incredible glassy conditions. Get out there for that.

Rusty.

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