Makapu'u Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell you how it’s looking for Makapu'u over the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim stretch for us reef‑surfers.

We’ve got a long, quiet gap right from the start of the forecast. The first few days are a total write‑off – Wednesday 22 July, Thursday 23 July, and Friday 24 July all show poor surf conditions with onshore winds and messy, unrideable waves. The swell is either tiny and weak or short‑period junk. On Friday afternoon the energy jumps a bit (1205), but the period is a pathetic 7 seconds and the wind is strong onshore – that’s blown‑out, bumpy chaos, not something you want to paddle into.

The weekend of 25–26 July doesn’t get any better. Saturday has a mix of short‑period windswell and a weak long‑period SSW pulse, but the wind is still onshore and the wave comment says poor. Sunday 26 July brings a moderate energy swell (1612) with a 15‑second period – that’s a proper groundswell – but it’s coming from the east, and the wind is hammering onshore from the ENE. That’s a recipe for bumpy, closed‑out walls at a beach and reef setup like this. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

Monday 27 July and Tuesday 28 July are still poor. The swell sticks around 5 ft to 6 ft, with a 13‑14 second period, which would normally be promising, but the wind stays onshore from the NE/ENE. Tuesday afternoon it turns cross‑onshore and choppy – still no go.

You have to wait until Wednesday 29 July for even a glimmer. The morning shows a 7 ft east swell (12 seconds, 1430 energy) and the wind drops to a gentle 9 mph cross‑onshore, which gives it a “marginal” rating. The waves could be rideable for a skilled surfer if you’re desperate, but it’s far from clean. The rating is low, and the afternoon gets worse.

After that, it’s back to poor. Thursday 30 July through to the end of the first week of August is all onshore winds, weak to moderate energy, and short‑period windswell. The 8 ft swell on Sunday 2 August has a 7‑second period – that’s just a lumpy, gutless mess. The 7 ft swell on Monday 3 August (8–9 seconds, 1330 energy) is the same story: onshore wind, poor conditions.

The only standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Wednesday 29 July. That’s the one session where the swell is a solid 7 ft from the east, with a 12‑second period and a light cross‑onshore breeze. It’s still not glassy, but it’s the least bad option in the whole 16‑day window. For an advanced surfer with a bit of patience, it might offer a few bumpy but rideable walls. The reef at Makapu'u can handle that east swell, but the onshore component will keep it choppy. This break is fairly consistent, so it’s a bit of a shame to see it so quiet.

Overall, there’s nothing here that gets me excited. If you’re determined to get wet, that Wednesday morning is your best bet, but keep your expectations low. The rest of the run is a bust.

Rusty

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