Makaha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the outlook for Makaha is a tough one. We’ve got a long run of marginal surf and tricky conditions. The first two weeks are pretty bleak, with persistent cross-onshore winds and often choppy seas. There’s a small pulse of energy around the 12th, but the swell is short-period windswell, so the quality is just not there. It’s not until the very end of the window that we might see a little something.

Let’s break it down.

For the next week, starting Saturday the 5th, we’re looking at waist-to-chest high swell from the SW, around 3 ft to 5 ft, with a decent period of 14 seconds – that’s got some long-range energy. The combined swell energy is moderate, sitting around 816 on Saturday morning. But the issue is the wind. It’s a light S breeze, but it’s cross-on, leaving a lumpy surface. Saturday afternoon and Sunday aren’t much better, with the wind holding from the south. The best of this early stretch might be Saturday morning or Sunday morning, but “best” is a relative term here. It’s marginal.

Monday the 7th drops off a bit to 3 ft, but the period stretches to 16 seconds – a very long period groundswell. That’s promising for shape on a reef like Makaha, but the wave height is small, and the wind is still cross-on. The wave energy is moderate (670 on Monday morning). It’ll be clean-ish but inconsistent.

Tuesday the 8th is similar, with a slight bump in height to 4 ft and a 14-second period. The morning offers about the best we’ll see this week: moderate energy (869) and light cross-on winds. It’s small, but you might find a few clean lines if you’re patient. Crowds are possible at this popular spot, especially with the consistency it shows.

Mid-week, Wednesday the 9th through Friday the 11th, the swell stays small and the wind gets stronger, with moderate breezes making a mess of the surface. The scores drop. Don’t expect much.

Now, here’s a slight change-up. Saturday the 12th brings a new swell from the SSW, around 5 ft, but the period is a short 8 seconds. That windswell will be weak and unruly. The combined energy is moderate (549 on Saturday afternoon). The morning has a brief window of offshore WSW wind at 6 mph – that’s the standout for the whole forecast. It’s only a morning window, and the swell is short-period, so it won’t have the push of a groundswell. Still, for a few hours, you might get some clean, head-high waves before the wind goes cross-on.

After that, it trails off. The second week from the 14th to the 18th is small, with 3 ft to 4 ft, mostly 14-16 second periods, but the cross-on wind never lets up. The wave energy is moderate but dropping into the lower hundreds. Nothing exciting.

The very end of the run, around Saturday the 20th, we see a small bump to 5 ft from the SSW, but again it’s short-period (8 seconds) and the wind is cross-on. The combined energy is moderate (551 on Sunday morning). It’s more of the same.

So overall, the best on offer is the brief offshore window on the morning of Saturday, 12th September, with 5 ft SSW swell. It won’t be classic, but it’s the cleanest you’ll get. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no wetsuit surprises. Keep your expectations low, and if you see a clean set, paddle hard.

Rusty.

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