Makapu'u Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. I’ve been staring at the charts for our usual spot, and honestly, it’s a tough run ahead. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a grind, with consistent onshore wind bullying the lineup. The water temp is sitting around 81°F at the start, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a spring suit. But the wind? It’s a problem.

We’re looking at a solid gap of poor surf right from the start. From Tuesday the 25th of August all the way through to the end of the month, it’s all “poor surf conditions” for Makapu'u. The wind is blowing strong from the ENE at 18 to 25 mph, straight onshore, making a mess of things. The swell is there, but it’s short-period, wind-driven stuff, mostly around 5ft to 6ft, and the energy is moderate (in the 600s to 700s range). It’s just not clean enough to bother with.

The first week of September doesn’t bring much relief. The first few days of the month are more of the same: onshore ENE winds, short-period swell, and a combined energy that climbs into the 800s and 900s, but still with that “poor” tag. By Thursday the 3rd, the swell bumps up to 8ft, and the energy gets strong (1081), but it’s still blown out. At that size, with that wind, it’s really only for the experts, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty.

There’s a flicker of hope around the 5th and 6th of September. The swell period jumps to 12 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, and the energy jumps way up to 1413 and 1422. That’s strong wave energy. But the wind is still howling at 25 mph, and we’ve got risk of thunderstorms on the Sunday. The swell direction is good—ENE—which is close to the optimum ESE direction, so the potential is there. But the wind is the killer. It’s onshore, turning a potentially great day into a washing machine.

By the 9th of September, we finally see the wind ease up a bit on the Wednesday morning, dropping to 12 mph from the ENE. The swell is still solid at 6ft with a period of 9 seconds, and the energy is strong (1254). The afternoon looks even better with a 7ft, 9-second swell from the ENE and a combined energy of 1604. The wind is still onshore, but lighter. This is the only window in the whole forecast where the charts say "marginal surf forecast" instead of "poor," which is a small step up. It’s still not great, but it’s the best we’ve got. If you’re desperate, that Wednesday afternoon might offer a few lumpy, bumpy, but rideable waves at Makapu'u. Just know it’s going to be a grunt, and the crowds are possible here.

Honestly, for the next two weeks, the setup is so wind-affected that it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s plenty of wind and some sizeable swell to play with, but for a regular surfer, it’s a long wait for a very average end.

Rusty, signing off.

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