Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I’m looking at the next 16 days around Ma'alaea. Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet stretch ahead. We’ve got a run of small, clean surf but nothing that’s going to get the heart pumping too hard. There’s a bit of a wait for the best conditions, and even then, it’s more about the glassy windows than any real size.

The water temperature is sitting at 80°, which is pretty much right where it should be for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The real standout, if you can call it that, looks to be Saturday the 22nd of August. Early morning we’ve got a light offshore breeze from the NW, winds at just 3 mph, and the swell is coming from the SSW at 2 ft with a long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy reading is 343, which is moderate. It’ll be clean, but be aware that long-period swell like this can sometimes make Ma'alaea a bit tricky – it’s a reef break, so it should handle it okay, but the sets might be a bit fat. This spot is for advanced surfers only, and it’s inconsistent, so don’t expect a wave every minute. Crowds are possible here.

After that, we’ve got another window on Sunday morning the 23rd of August with a bump in the swell to 6 ft, but it’s straight from the east with a very short period of just 6 seconds. That’s windswell, and that combined energy jumps to 356, but the quality is marginal. The wind is cross-off, so it’s not terrible, but you’re dealing with short, choppy lines. That’s more of a kite surfer’s setup if anything.

The same kind of 6 ft east windswell pops up again on Monday the 24th of August in the morning, with glassy conditions and combined energy around 314. Again, it’s short period, so it’s not the cleanest, but early morning glass could make it rideable.

After that, there’s a real gap. From around the 25th of August onwards, it’s mostly small, ordinary surf with poor conditions and a lot of cross-off winds. The energy drops right off into the weak zone, with readings under 100 for a few days. There’s a slight uptick on the 31st of August with a 4 ft east swell, but again, short period and strong winds keep it looking pretty average.

So, bottom line: if you’re an advanced surfer and you’re patient, the early morning of Saturday the 22nd of August is your best bet. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean and have some energy. Outside of that, it’s a lot of waiting for very little.

Rusty.

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