Pipeline Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ over the next couple of weeks in feet and knots.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim stretch ahead. We’re looking at a solid gap of no real surf to speak of for the first several days. The first time things even start to look like they might get interesting is right around Tuesday the 1st of September, but even then it’s only a whisper. The real story is that we’ve got a long, quiet spell until the second week of September, and even then, it’s not exactly firing.

The only spot we’ve got on the menu is Pipeline (North Shore). This is a heavy, expert-only reef break that's fairly consistent and exposed, so when it’s on, it’s on. But for this forecast period, it’s mostly a no-go. From Wednesday the 27th of August right through to the end of the month, swell heights are tiny – we’re talking 0.7 ft to 2 ft – with a cross-offshore wind from the ENE around 16 to 19 mph. The combined wave energy is weak, sitting at values between 13 and 303, but mostly on the lower end. It’s clean, but there’s simply no power.

Things stay flat and quiet through the first few days of September. On Tuesday the 2nd, there’s a bit of a pulse – a 3 ft SSW swell with a 16-second period and moderate energy around 437 – but the wave comment says it’s still poor. Then it drops off to nothing again for a couple of days. By Saturday the 6th of September, we see another 3 ft SSW swell, this time with a 16-second period and moderate energy around 454 to 469, but the wind is a fresh 19 mph from the ENE, which is cross-off but strong. Still not enough to call it good.

The only window that even comes close to a recommendation is on Monday the 7th of September. The wind swings around to a light NNW at 9 mph, going onshore in the morning and cross-on in the afternoon. Swell picks up to 4 ft from the SSW with a 14-second period and combined energy jumps to 529 – that’s moderate to strong energy. But the wave comment still calls it poor, and the wind state isn’t ideal for Pipeline’s steep barrel. This is the best of a bad bunch, but it’s not something to get excited about. On the 8th of September, we’ve got a 2 ft SSW swell with a 19-second period and energy around 325, but there’s a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-shore wind that’s going to chop it up.

Water temperature is not given in the data, so I can’t say much about that. But given the long stretch of weak, poor surf, this is a period to save your energy and wait for a better window. If you’re an expert and absolutely have to get wet, the 7th of September morning might offer the best chance, but it’s a gamble. The consistent cross-offshore winds will keep the surface clean, but without proper swell, Pipeline is just a pretty, flat reef.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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