Pohoiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I'm looking at the Big Island surf scene for the next couple of weeks. To be honest, the outlook for Pohoiki is a bit of a mixed bag of marginal conditions and raw, unfriendly energy. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The pattern is a long stretch of mushy, wind-affected surf with a few brief windows of cleaner, but still small, waves. The standout period comes right at the start, but it's a short-lived window.

Monday, August 3rd is your best bet. The morning session at Pohoiki (Hawaii) sees a clean 4ft of ENE swell, but here's the kicker – the wind is a light, cross-shore breeze from the NE at 6 mph. That's going to keep the surface glassy and clean. The swell period is a short 8 seconds, so it won't have much punch, but it's rideable. The combined energy is moderate (450). Crowds are a possibility here, so expect some company. Tuesday morning, August 4th, is a similar story with a slightly bigger 5ft swell and a much better 11-second period, which will give the waves a bit more shape and power. The wind stays light and cross-shore. That's your best two-session window.

After that, things get more challenging. From Tuesday afternoon through to the 16th, the wind picks up and turns onshore or cross-onshore, turning the surf into a choppy, bumpy mess. The swell direction shifts around, and the scores drop hard. There's a period around the 9th and 10th where the swell size bumps up to 7ft, but with strong onshore winds and a very short period, it's ugly. Too messy for a paddleboard.

A real weird one happens on Wednesday, August 12th. A long-period groundswell from the south sneaks in with a 3ft swell, but a massive 18-second period. The combined energy is strong (878). The problem? The wind is still cross-onshore, and that big, long-period swell is going to break straight and fat at a place like Pohoiki, which is a reef break. It's a tease. The same long-period energy sticks around through the 14th, but the wind is rotten.

The very end of the run, on Saturday, August 15th and Sunday, August 16th, shows some potential if the wind lays down. The swell is back to 5-5ft from the ESE, but the wind is forecast to be cross-shore and light at times. The real spike is on Sunday afternoon, August 16th, with a 8ft swell from the E and a huge combined energy of 1717. That's a lot of power, but it's also pushing into the "experts only" zone. The wind is still cross-onshore, so it's going to be a raw, powerful, ugly beast. Not for the faint of heart.

Bottom line: Hit it Monday morning, August 3rd, or Tuesday morning, August 4th, for the cleanest, most fun waves. Everything else is a long shot against the wind. If you're a kite surfer, the 9th through the 11th might be more your jam than mine.

Rusty.

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