Surf Forecasts:
Makalawena surf forecast from 18 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 19 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 19 Sep, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period, SW swell with 203 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Friday 18 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 7s period with NNE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Makalawena this week:
The surf forecast for Makalawena over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Friday (Sep 18) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 7s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 7s. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Makalawena in the next 16 days are 0.6m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 19) at 2PM. 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 6s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 20) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5PM (Fri 18th Sep) | 3ft (0.9m) 7s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Sat 19th Sep) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Makalawena over the next 16 days.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Fri morning, min 26°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 27°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Friday 18 | Saturday 19 | Sunday 20 | Monday 21 | Tuesday 22 | Wednesday 23 | Thursday 24 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | NNE 6 | SW 15 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | SW 19 | NNE 6 | SW 17 | SW 16 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 51 | 73 | 50 | 159 | 124 | 112 | 51 | 75 | 85 | 42 | 107 | 45 | 29 | 61 | 54 | 143 | 125 | 47 | 58 | 56 | 45 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | glassy | cross | on | cross-off | cross | glassy | cross | glassy | on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 9:47AM0.61m | 11:11AM0.62m | 11:51PM0.27m | 12:12PM0.65m | 00:49AM0.32m | 12:56PM0.68m | 1:27AM0.37m | 1:31PM0.70m | 1:59AM0.44m | 2:03PM0.71m | 2:31AM0.52m | 2:33PM0.71m | 3:03AM0.60m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 2:02AM0.21m | 7:43PM0.22m | 4:05AM0.22m | 7:52PM0.19m | 5:34AM0.20m | 8:07PM0.16m | 6:35AM0.18m | 8:24PM0.14m | 7:25AM0.15m | 8:41PM0.11m | 8:10AM0.14m | 9:00PM0.08m | |||||||||
 | |  | | |  |  | |  | | | | |  |  | | | | | | | |
 | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — |
 | — | 6:23 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:17 | — |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 17 | NNE 7 | SSW 16 | NNE 6 | NNE 7 | SSW 16 | NNE 6 | SSW 15 | NNE 6 | SSW 13 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | S 12 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | SW 17 |
| kJ | 381 | 73 | 344 | 55 | 50 | 432 | 51 | 365 | 85 | 299 | 107 | 45 | 146 | 61 | 54 | 49 | 51 | 47 | 58 | 56 | 298 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 7 | SW 17 | NNE 7 | S 18 | SSW 17 | NNE 6 | SSW 15 | NNE 6 | SSW 14 | NNE 6 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NNE 6 | S 12 | S 13 | S 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | NNE 6 |
| kJ | 51 | 298 | 50 | 225 | 385 | 55 | 365 | 60 | 336 | 42 | 290 | 222 | 29 | 144 | 168 | 119 | 108 | 106 | 154 | 226 | 45 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 16 | SSW 16 | S 4 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | W 13 | SW 19 | SW 17 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | S 12 | S 12 | S 11 |
| kJ | 139 | 208 | 17 | 159 | 124 | 112 | 54 | 75 | 52 | 32 | 31 | 19 | 13 | 57 | 77 | 143 | 125 | 166 | 69 | 68 | 59 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 4 | N 7 | — | S 8 | N 6 | S 4 | — | SSE 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 3 | 32 | — | 34 | 27 | 9 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 34 | 0 | 12 | 100 | 0 | 19 | 100 | 1 | 0 | 98 | 14 | 12 | 100 | 0 | 12 | 100 | 0 | 12 | 100 | 12 | 19 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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 16 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.
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