Playita Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gutted, mate. Honestly, I’ve been staring at this forecast for Playita (Big Island) and there’s just nothing doing. The whole 16-day window is a flat, choppy write-off. There are zero good surf options on the table, and I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The waves are there, but they’re junk.

The first few days, we’re looking at rideable but messy stuff. Wednesday the 5th, there’s a weak 3ft ENE windswell with a short 6-second period. The energy is weak, sitting at 66, and that onshore breeze has it all chopped up. Water temp is 82°, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a hood. But it’s a mess.

That pattern holds through the first week. The swell pushes up a touch to 4ft – 5ft, but the period stays short and the cross-onshore wind never lets up. The energy builds into the moderate range – hitting 210 on Friday the 7th – but it’s all wind-driven junk. This is a breakwater, and with that onshore wind, it’s just not going to hold any shape. It’s poor surf conditions, day after day.

There’s a bit more size for the second week, especially around the 14th and 15th, with 6ft and 5ft swells, and the energy climbs to 366. But the period is still short, and the wind is still cross-onshore. It’s just bigger and messier. Then on Sunday the 16th, we see a 7ft NE swell with a slightly better 9-second period, pushing the energy up to 635. That’s the most powerful swell of the run, but it’s still not clean. That cross-onshore breeze will have it all over the place.

The one semi-bright spot is Tuesday the 18th morning, when it’s flagged as marginal. There’s 7ft of ENE swell with an 8-second period and the energy is strong at 534. But the wind is still cross-onshore, and for a breakwater, that’s just not gonna be a fun paddle. It might be the closest thing to a wave all window, but it’s still pretty average.

Honestly, with this much chop and onshore wind, this setup looks way more interesting for the kite surfers than for anyone on a paddleboard. For us, it’s a long, blank run. The swell direction is never right, the wind is never right, and the periods are too short to do anything with it. It doesn’t tend to stay this poor for long around here, so I’d keep an eye on the charts, but for the next two weeks, I’d find another hobby.

Rusty.

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