Makalawena Surf Forecast

/ HAW – Big Island (60 breaks) / Hawaii (267 breaks) /

USA (1297 breaks) / Lat Long: (19.79° N 156.04° W)

Surf Forecasts:

Makalawena surfForecast / HAW – Big Island / USA

12 Day Weather and Surf, issued 7 pm Wednesday 17 Sep 2025 HST

Forecast update in hr min s Forecast update imminent

Makalawena surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Today's Makalawena sea temperature is 27.2° C
(Which is normal for this time of year)

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Makalawena this week:

The surf forecast for Makalawena over the next 12 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 20) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Makalawena in the next 12 days are 1.2m 8s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 21) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 15s period and expected on Saturday (Sep 20) at 11PM.

Wave Type	Time (HST) & Date	Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)	8PM (Sat 20th Sep)	3ft (0.9m) 8s
Best Surf	8PM (Sat 20th Sep)	3ft (0.9m) 8s
Most Powerful	5PM (Sun 21st Sep)	4ft (1.2m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Makalawena over the next 12 days.

Updates in hr min s Forecast update imminent

12 Days Hourly

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	Short Range Forecast Mostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.										Days 3-6 Weather Summary Moderate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Sun morning, min 24°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light.
		Thursday 18			Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23			Wed 24
	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM	Night	AM	PM
Rating (10 max)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Swell Height Map See all maps
Wave Height (m) & direction (?)	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE	NNE
Period(s) (?)	5	6	6	5	5	5	8	7	8	7	8	8	8	9	8	8	5	5	6	6	6
Wave Graph (?)
kJ (?)	17	22	32	26	31	26	50	48	88	101	101	154	84	99	105	64	30	15	43	28	49
Wind (km/h)	NW	WSW	WSW	SSW	W	WSW	SSW	WSW	SSW	N	SW	WNW	SSE	WSW	SSW	W	WNW	SW	NNE	W	SW
Wind State (?) onshore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore offshore glassy	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	glass	cross- on	glass	cross	cross- on	cross	glass	cross	on	cross- off	cross- on	cross	cross- on	on	cross	glass	cross- on	glass
High Tide / height (m)	1:54AM 0.41		2:04PM 0.75	2:30AM 0.48		2:38PM 0.74	3:03AM 0.55		3:08PM 0.70	3:35AM 0.61		3:35PM 0.66	4:06AM 0.66		4:01PM 0.60	4:38AM 0.69		4:26PM 0.54		5:10AM 0.70	4:50PM 0.48
Low Tide / height (m)	8:28PM 0.13	7:14AM 0.13		8:51PM 0.11	8:04AM 0.12		9:12PM 0.09	8:48AM 0.12		9:31PM 0.08	9:30AM 0.13		9:50PM 0.08	10:10AM 0.15		10:09PM 0.08	10:51AM 0.17		10:28PM 0.08	11:33AM 0.20

		Thursday 18			Friday 19			Saturday 20			Sunday 21			Monday 22			Tuesday 23			Wed 24
Sunrise	-	6:11	-	-	6:11	-	-	6:11	-	-	6:11	-	-	6:11	-	-	6:13	-	-	6:13	-
Sunset	-	-	6:23	-	-	6:22	-	-	6:22	-	-	6:21	-	-	6:20	-	-	6:19	-	-	6:17

Rain (mm)	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3	4	-	2	2	-	1	-	-	-
Temp. °C	26	27	26	25	27	27	26	27	26	26	27	26	26	26	26	26	27	27	26	26	26
Feels °C (?)	29	30	27	29	29	29	30	29	28	29	29	28	29	28	28	29	28	29	29	28	28

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Recent Eyeball Surf Reports for HAW - Big Island

Wind Update Still cross-shore at Makalawena (light winds from the SW at Kailua/Kona Airport 7 km from Makalawena). 0.7m 5s windswell from the NNE to make surfable waves.
2 hours 19 minutes ago Makalawena

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2 h 19 min ago

15 km/h

Cross-Shore

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The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Makalawena surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.

Information about the Makalawena Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Makalawena provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 12 days. A general guide to surfing at Makalawena can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Makalawena surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Makalawena) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Makalawena may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Makalawena is 100 km (62 miles) from Hilo. If you plan a vacation in Big Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hilo. Hilo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.