Makapu'u Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I gotta level with you on the surf outlook for the next couple of weeks. For a spot like Makapu'u (Oahu), it's looking pretty grim for anything that's worth paddling out for. This is an advanced reef break, gets a fair amount of swell, but it needs clean conditions to work, and we're just not getting them.

Water temp is sitting around 79°, which is right about average for this time of year, so that's no issue.

We’re looking at a solid 15 days of poor surf, starting from Thursday, July 9th, all the way through to Wednesday, July 22nd. The big problem is the wind. It's hammering from the ENE at 19 to 25 mph, and it's blowing straight *on* the beach at Makapu'u. That means the waves are going to be choppy, bumpy, and a real mess. No good for clean surfing.

The swell heights during this period are mostly in the 5 ft to 8 ft range, which is a decent size, but it's all short-period windswell from the ENE and NE, with periods of just 7 to 8 seconds. That's weak, disorganised stuff, and with the onshore wind, it's just a frothy lump. The energy levels are moderate, but it's not making any decent waves. There's no standout here; it's all poor conditions.

Now, there's a little change on July 20th and 21st. We get a long-period groundswell from the South and then the East, with periods of 15 to 16 seconds. The swell height is small, only around 3 ft. The energy numbers jump up high, which is the power of the longer period. But the killer is the wind is still blowing onshore at 19 to 22 mph. So you've got a quality groundswell that's getting completely trashed by the wind. For a beach break, that long period can make the waves break too straight, so it's a tough one even without the wind.

The very end of the outlook, from July 23rd, we’re back to the same tale: moderate ENE windswell, 6 ft to 7 ft, with onshore winds again.

So, what's the best on offer? There isn't one. We've got a 16-day window with barely a sniff of a clean wave. The only thing that gets a mention is that long-period pulse on the 20th and 21st, but it's a long shot with that wind. For a spot that's usually fairly consistent, a blank run like this is a bit of a bummer, but it happens. The setup here is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing given the constant strong shore winds.

Honestly, I'd say give it a rest for a while. The forecast can change, but right now, it's a tough period.

Rusty.

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