Pipeline Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim run for the most part. We’re lookin’ at Pipeline (Oahu, United States), and the finder’s come up empty on proper surf for the first week and a half. The whole setup from Thursday the 30th right through to Sunday the 9th of August is just poor surf conditions, day after day. That’s a solid ten-day gap with no decent waves to speak of. The water’s sittin’ at a warm 79°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – nothing weird there.

The swell that does show is tiny, mostly 1.0ft to 2ft, and it’s comin’ from the SSW or SW, but with a really long period of 14 to 18 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, but without any size, it’s just a tease. On top of that, the wind’s stuck in a cross-off pattern from the east and east-northeast, blowin’ at 19 to 22 mph, so it’s not even glassy. The combined energy is weak, mostly double-digit values under 300 (161 to 261), which is just a whisper.

Now, things start to get a little more interesting from the 9th of August onwards. The swell picks up a notch, and by Sunday the 9th, we see the swell height climbin’ to 3ft from the SSW, with a period of 18 seconds and the combined energy jumpin’ to 688 (moderate). The wind’s still cross-off from the east at 16 mph, but it’s lookin’ cleaner. Monday the 10th sees the swell peak at 4ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and energy at 790. That’s the best of the whole run, but it’s still only a marginal proposition – the forecast’s flaggin’ questionable tide conditions and the waves aren’t quite clean enough to call it a standout. The wind’s still cross-off, not true offshore.

The real shame is that Pipeline needs that big WNW or NW groundswell to fire, and this SSW swell is off its optimum direction. Even with the long period, it’s not gonna shape up properly on this reef. For a spot that’s fairly consistent and exposed, this is a frustrating stretch. The one small highlight might be for the kite crew if the wind keeps up, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a tough wait.

So, to be honest, there’s no true standout session here. The best you can hope for is a small, cleanish wave on the 10th, but it’s not worth gettin’ excited about. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, I’d say save your energy.

Rusty.

Read more