Makaha Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's talk about what's cooking at Makaha.

Right off the bat, we're looking at a pretty drawn-out run of so-so conditions. The swell is coming through, but it's fighting with the wind almost every day. You're looking at a couple weeks of waves that are more about "getting wet" than "scoring."

The one true standout, the one that gets a guy's hopes up, is Monday, July 13th. Get this in your diary. For the morning session, the wind is going *glassy* – absolute dead calm, just a slight air. That's the magic ticket at a reef like Makaha. The swell will be a tidy 4 ft from the SSW, with good period at 12 seconds, so some proper groundswell lines. The combined wave energy is moderate at (762). The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing weird going on there. That morning is your best shot at a clean, lined-up wave. Keep in mind, this spot gets crowded often, so you'll have company for those clean ones.

Before that, it's a grind. From Tuesday, July 7th, through the weekend, you've got a consistent 4 to 5 ft SW swell, but the wind is either on or cross-onshore. It's not blown out, but it's bumpy enough to make it a frustrating paddle. The energy stays in the moderate range (500-1000), but the quality just isn't there. Thursday, July 9th morning, a little 3 ft drop shows the inconsistency of the conditions.

After that Monday window, the wind gets messy again. We roll into the second week with mostly cross-onshore breezes. The swell hangs around the 3 to 4 ft mark from the SSW, but it's never quite right until we hit the next weekend.

Looking further out, Saturday, July 19th and Sunday, July 20th, we see a bump in swell size. It pushes up to 6 ft on the Sunday morning from the SSW with a period of 16 seconds – that's a nice long-period groundswell pumping some serious energy into the lineup (1492). That's a strong energy day. That size is getting up there, bordering on expert territory at 6 ft, so it'll be a different beast. The caveat is the wind is still cross-onshore, so even with that size, expect a bit of chop on the face. That Monday, July 21st, keeps up the 5 to 5 ft size. If those forecasts hold, those are your biggest sessions of the outlook, but the texture won't be as clean as that July 13th glass-off.

So, the long and short of it: Don't get too excited about the first week unless you're just keen for a paddle. Lock in that Monday morning, July 13th, for the cleanest waves. And keep an eye on that swell spike at the end, it’s promising but less certain and a little rougher around the edges.

Rusty.

Read more