Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ straight at the Big Island, specifically Pohoiki. It’s a reef setup that’s exposed, and for this 16-day window, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a fair bit of swell energy rollin’ in, but the wind is gonna be the main talking point, and not always in a good way.

Right from the start, Wednesday morning, we’ve got a solid 6 ft SE swell with a hefty energy reading, but that ENE wind at 16 mph is cross-on, choppin’ it all up. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there. It’s a write-off for a decent paddle. The pattern continues through Thursday and Friday with consistent, decent-sized swell – we’re talking 5 ft to 7 ft – but the wind stays stubbornly cross or cross-on, keepin’ the surface messy. The energy is still strong, but it’s not doin’ us any favours.

Now, Saturday the 5th into Sunday the 6th is where we get a little glimmer. The swell holds around 7 ft with a long period of 12-14 seconds out of the ENE, which is a proper groundswell for this spot. The energy is still pumpin’. The wind drops to a gentle 9 mph from the NNE, which is a cross-shore. It’s still a bit of a cross-chop, but it’s the most surfable we’ve seen. It’s marginal, but it’s the best on offer for the first week.

The real standout, though, is going to be Monday the 7th. The morning session, we see an ESE wind at just 6 mph, which is blowin’ offshore. That’s a big deal for Pohoiki. The swell is 7 ft and 12 seconds from the ENE, with plenty of energy. That offshore wind is gonna groom it into clean lines. This is the one. Get out there early. Afternoon, the wind swings south and gets messy again, so the window is tight.

After that, things go downhill. The swell drops, the energy plummets, and the wind stays onshore or cross-shore with a lot of rain and thunderstorms around. For about a week, from Tuesday the 8th through to the 16th, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. The swell is either too small, too short-period, or just blown out. There’s a brief moment on Sunday the 13th with a clean, cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 6 ft and the energy is low.

The very end of the window, Thursday the 17th, we see a pulse of 7 ft ENE swell, but the wind is back to cross-on. It’s a bit of a tease. Honestly, if you’re not out there on Monday the 7th morning, you’re lookin’ at a lot of time on the beach. The rest is for the kites, not the paddles.

Rusty.

Read more