Pipeline Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on the table for the North Shore.

To be straight with you, the first couple of weeks are a right-off. There’s a big gap of poor to marginal surf from now right through until the middle of next week. The swell is tiny, the wind is a stiff cross-off from the east-northeast, and the energy just isn’t there. The first real sign of life doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 19th of August, so we’re looking at a solid 10-day stretch of flat or near-flat conditions. Don’t bother paddling out until then.

The standout window is shaping up to be Wednesday the 19th through Friday the 21st. On Wednesday morning, we’ve got a clean 2 ft SSW groundswell pushing in with a long period of 24 seconds and a moderate combined energy of 271. That’s a proper groundswell, and the wind is light from the ENE at 9 mph, keeping the surface glassy. This is the kind of day that makes Pipeline (Oahu) look like a dream. The swell direction is a bit south, but it’ll wrap in nicely. The water is sitting at 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises there.

Thursday the 20th builds on that. The swell picks up to 2 ft in the morning and 3 ft in the afternoon, still from the SW, with the period dropping to 20 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 536 in the morning and 685 in the afternoon – that’s moderate energy but it’s got some push. The wind stays light and cross-off from the ENE at 9 mph. This is the best day of the whole outlook. The sets will be clean, the wave shape will be solid, and the consistency will be there. Keep in mind, Pipeline is a reef break and it’s exposed to the swell, and with crowds noted as “often,” you’ll be sharing the peak. But it’s a world-class wave when it’s good, and Thursday is looking good.

Friday the 21st holds similar size in the morning, 3 ft from the SW, with a 18-second period and combined energy of 550. The wind stays light. The afternoon has a risk of thunderstorms, but the surf is still clean. This is a solid three-day run.

After that, the swell backs off again into the weekend of the 22nd, with the energy dropping back to 298 and the wind picking up to 16 mph. It’ll be a shadow of what we had mid-week.

So, the call is simple: wait it out. The best surf on offer is Thursday the 20th of August at Pipeline. Get out there early, deal with the crowd, and enjoy the clean, long-period groundswell. This is not one for the beginners – the reef is no joke – but for the experienced crew, it’s a winner.

Rusty.

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