Pipeline Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's talk about what's on offer for the North Shore.

Truth be told, the next two weeks are looking pretty flat and quiet for the most part, especially for a spot like Pipeline. We're looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and mostly unappealing conditions. There's really only one standout window that's worth a closer look, and it's a bit of a ways out.

For the first week and a half or so, starting from Saturday the 8th through to about Wednesday the 19th, it's a real struggle. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2 ft to 3 ft, and the period is dropping from a long 18 seconds down to a short 13 seconds. The wind is a persistent cross-offshore from the ENE, but when the waves are that small, it just doesn't matter. The energy is weak, sitting between (10) and (398) on the best days, but most of the time it's a fraction of that. It's clean but completely flat. Thursday the 13th onward it really drops off a cliff, with energy readings as low as (10) and (17).

Now, we get to the one real glimmer of hope. Around Thursday the 20th, things start to look a little more interesting. The swell picks up slightly to 2 ft to 2 ft, but the period lengthens back to 17–18 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The wind drops to a gentle 9 mph from the E, which is a solid cross-off. The combined energy on Thursday the 20th morning is (157) and by the afternoon it bumps up to (217). It's not pumping, but it's the most surfable we've seen in a while.

The standout option in this whole outlook is Pipeline on Thursday, 20th August. We're looking at a 2 ft SSW groundswell, with that lovely long 18-second period. The water temp is a warm 80°, which is bang on average for this time of year. The wind is light and cross-offshore, so it'll be clean. The crowd factor is a thing here – it's Pipeline, paddling out often means a crowd, so be ready for that. It's a very long period swell, so the waves will have that extra energy and shape, but it can also make the take-off a bit more critical at a reef like this. For the advanced surfer, Thursday morning into the afternoon is your best bet.

The rest of the forecast into the 23rd stays small and marginal. Don't hold your breath for anything else.

Rusty.

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