Makaha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks. It’s not going to be a classic run, but there are a few windows where you can get some fun ones if you’re patient. The overall picture is a lot of background SW swell, but the wind is going to be the main player, keeping things a bit messy for the most part. We’ve got a stretch of days with no real recommendations, so don't be afraid to do other things for a bit.

The first real call is for Monday, August 10th at Makaha (Oahu). The swell is there, around 4.3ft from the SSW, but the wind is a cross-onshore breeze at 19 mph, which is going to put a bit of chop on the surface. The period is a solid 14 seconds, so there’s some push behind it, but the quality is just not there. The combined energy is moderate at 1074, but it’s not going to be clean. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s a marginal day, best for the locals who don't mind a bit of texture.

Tuesday looks a little better. Still cross-on, but lighter. The morning of Tuesday, August 11th sees a 3.9ft SW swell with a longer 15 second period, and the wind drops to a light 6 mph. The energy is moderate at 1062. It’s still not the cleanest, but that longer period and lighter breeze make it the pick of the first few days. The afternoon picks up a bit of size to 5.2ft, but the wind comes up and it gets more choppy.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. The wind swings more cross-shore and the period drops, making things junky. The surf is still in the 3ft to 5ft range, but the quality score is low. There’s that window on Thursday, August 13th in the afternoon where the swell jumps to 3.6ft but the period jumps all the way to 18 seconds. That’s some real groundswell energy, and the combined energy is up to 1120. Still, the cross-shore wind keeps it from being great. This is a promising sign for later though. We go through Friday and Saturday with more of the same – knee to waist high, cross-shore winds, and not much to get excited about.

Saturday afternoon kicks up the wind to 16 mph and then Sunday gets worse. Sunday, August 16th afternoon is when things start to change. The wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, and the swell jumps to 6.2ft but the period drops to a short 8 seconds. This is a junky, wind-blown mess. The energy is strong at 1277, but it’s all chop. This is the start of a poor stretch, and it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Monday and Tuesday of the next week are poor. Monday, August 17th has 6.2ft of short-period SW windswell with strong winds. The setup is poor. This looks more like a kite-surfing day than a paddle-surfing day. The water temp is still about normal.

We finally see a potential change around Tuesday, August 18th as the period starts to lengthen again. The morning has 6.2ft of SSW swell with a 10 second period, but it's still cross-onshore. It’s not until Thursday, August 20th that we see the wind swing around. The morning has a 4.9ft swell from the S, but the winds are light and onshore from the WSW. The period is only 8 seconds, so it’s still short-period, but the light wind is a plus. The energy is weak at 512. Still, this is the first hint of clean conditions.

The real standout, in my eyes, is on Friday, August 21st. The swell drops to a smaller 2.3ft in the morning, but the period jumps to a very long 16 seconds, and the wind is a light cross-on from the SW at 6 mph. The combined energy is weak at 509, but that long period means it’s going to be glassy, clean, and have some push for its size. This is a long-period groundswell, and Makaha is a reef, so it should handle it well. This is the one to watch. The afternoon holds similar conditions with a slightly bigger 2.6ft wave.

The weekend after that has some small surf, but it gets messy again with onshore winds. Then, looking further out to Monday, August 24th, there’s another small pulse of long-period swell. The morning has 3.3ft from the SSW with a 16 second period and light cross-on winds. Again, clean but small. And finally, Tuesday, August 25th looks promising. A 4.3ft SSW groundswell with a 13 second period, light onshore winds from the W at just 3 mph, and moderate energy at 1075. This is another one that could be super clean and fun,

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