Ohara Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board and listen up. It's Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks. It’s gonna be a real mixed bag, so let’s get into it.

This stretch starts off a bit slow. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are looking pretty average, with a small, short-period ESE swell around 5 ft to 5 ft. The wind is a cross-shore, which is alright, but it's kicking up a slight chop and the wave energy is moderate. The water temp is sitting right around 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year. Not terrible, but nothing to get excited about.

We get a bit of a window on Monday the 17th. It's not a big swell, only 3 ft from the ESE, but the wind goes light and cross-offshore, cleaning things up nicely. The wave energy is still moderate, and the conditions are rated as clean. It’ll be a fun little session on a small board, but it’s nothing to write home about. After that, the week from Tuesday the 18th through Thursday the 20th is pretty flat and weak, with small, short-period, knee-high slop and mostly cross-shore wind. Not worth paddling out for.

Friday the 21st into Saturday the 22nd, things get interesting. The swell stays small, around 4 ft, but the wind goes offshore. Friday has a bit of a risk of thunderstorms, but it's clean. Saturday the 22nd is the real standout of the first week. The wind is a solid, moderate offshore from the SSW, the swell is 4 ft from the SE with a period of 9 seconds, and the wave energy is moderate. The conditions are clean and the forecast is for good surf. This is your best bet for a clean, organized wave all week.

Then we hit a weird gap. Sunday the 23rd is building, but the real standout is the Sunday afternoon session. The swell jumps to 4 ft from the SE, but the period stretches to 17 seconds – that’s a proper, long-period groundswell. The wind is a clean offshore, and the wave energy is moderate. This is a promising one, but it’s a week out, so keep an eye on it.

Now, get ready for the big boys. Monday the 24th of August is a major event. We’re looking at a solid 8 ft swell from the SE, with a long period of 16 seconds and a massive wave energy. The wind is a clean, cross-offshore. This is expert territory. That size, with that period, on a beach break? It’s going to be a washing machine. Look for a point or a reef if you’re not an absolute charger. The quality is rated as marginal, likely due to the sheer size and power. This is the biggest, most powerful swell of the whole forecast.

Tuesday the 25th is a write-off. The swell is still big (8 ft) but the wind cranks onshore from the NNE at 22 mph, making it a lumpy, blown-out mess. Wednesday and Thursday the 26th and 27th see the swell drop back down to a more manageable 5 ft to 5 ft, and the wind improves, offering some cleaner, cross-shore conditions with moderate wave energy. Friday the 28th looks decent with a clean offshore wind and a 5 ft swell from the ENE, but the period is a short 7 seconds.

The final weekend, the 29th and 30th, is a bit of a fade-out. The swell drops to less than 2 ft, but the period is very long (13-19 seconds) on Sunday the 30th, with a high wave energy. The wind is unfortunately cross-onshore, so it’ll be choppy. There’s energy in the water, but it won’t be pretty.

The Bottom Line: The best window for clean, fun waves is Saturday the 22nd. The big, powerful groundswell on Sunday the 23rd afternoon is the most promising, but it's a week away. Monday the 24th is for experts only, with a massive, powerful swell. Everything else is a gamble.

Rusty

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