Makaha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break it down for the imperial fellas.

It’s a bit of a slow burn of a forecast, but there’s a couple of rippers hidden in there. The water’s running real warm, 71°, much hotter than usual for this time of year, so ditch the wetsuit.

The first session worth paddling for is Monday, July 20th, at Makaha (Oahu). This is a reef, super consistent, and open to the SW swell. It’s a beginner wave, so don’t expect huge pits. The morning looks okay with a 4ft SW swell, 11-second period, and a light cross breeze. The energy is moderate at 466. It’s surfable, but barely. The afternoon has a longer 13-second period, energy jumps to 602, but a stronger cross breeze messes with the surface. It’s a “maybe” session.

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 21st and 22nd, are a total wash. Onshore winds and small, weak swell. Don’t bother.

Thursday, July 23rd, is a weird one. Tiny swell, only 2ft, but the period is a massive 24 seconds. That’s a very long groundswell pumping moderate energy at 655. On a reef, that long period can set up a beautiful, long wall, but it’s just so small. A tease.

The real standout of the first week is Monday, July 27th. The swell comes up to 4ft, period at 18 seconds, and strong energy at 1179. The wind is light cross-onshore, which is fine. The afternoon bumps to 5ft with a 16-second period and energy hits 1395, but the wind kicks up a little chop. This is the best run of the early part.

The swell builds through the end of July. Tuesday, July 28th, holds strong with 5ft, 15-second period, and energy around 1148-1165. The wind is light, so it’ll be clean. Wednesday, July 29th, gets a bit bigger, 6ft, energy at 1062 in the afternoon with light winds. This is a solid run of mid-sized, long-period SW swell.

Now for the second week, the big daddy shows up on Sunday, August 2nd. 8ft of SW swell, 14-second period, and the energy is a monster at 2235. That’s very strong. 8ft is expert territory, so leave the foamie at home. The wind is light and offshore in the morning, which is a beautiful thing. Expect crowds at Makaha for this one, as it’s often packed. This is the absolute standout of the whole outlook.

Monday, August 3rd, is still solid with 6ft of SSW swell, but the energy drops to 1168. The wind is light and cross-shore, which is cleaner.

After that, the swell fades and the wind picks up, chopping things out by the end.

The bottom line: the last week of July is your go-to for consistent, fun waves. The date to circle is Sunday, August 2nd, for that big, long-period groundswell with clean offshore winds, but it’s deep in the forecast, so pray it holds. That long period will make the reef just sing.

Rusty.

Read more