
Surf Forecasts:
Polihale surf forecast from 12 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 21s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 21s period, SW swell with 220 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 12 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 9s period with NE swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Polihale this week:
The surf forecast for Polihale over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 9s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Polihale in the next 16 days are 0.5m 21s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.7m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Sat 12th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 9s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 21s |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Tue 15th Sep) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 21s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Polihale over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for Polihale.
First up, water temps are sitting at about 80°F which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there, just your standard warm Hawaiian bath.
Right now, we're in a bit of a quiet spell. The first real chance for a paddle comes Saturday morning the 12th. It's small, with waves around 2 ft out of the SW, but the wind is glassy and the energy is moderate (206). It's surfable, but it's not gonna have you racing for the car. That little SW pulse fades fast, and then we're into a long, flat run. From Saturday afternoon all the way through to Monday the 22nd, the wave heights drop to near nothing – we're talkin' knee-high dribble or just flatness for over a week. It's a big gap where the only action is wind ripples, so don't expect much.
Now, things start to look interesting again around Tuesday morning the 22nd. The swell picks up to 2 ft, but the real story is the period – a long 14 seconds from the N, giving you solid moderate energy (118) and glassy conditions. That's a groundswell signal. It's not big, but it's clean.
The standout window, and I mean the *real* standout, is the weekend of the 26th and 27th. Saturday morning the 26th sees the swell jump to 4 ft from the NNW with an 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps to a solid 422. The wind is a light cross-off, so it's clean. That's a proper fun-size wave for intermediate to advanced crew. Then Sunday morning the 27th gets even better – same 4 ft from the N, but a 12-second period, and the combined energy cranks up to 660, which is strong stuff. The wind stays light cross-off, making for really clean conditions. That Sunday morning is easily the best session in the whole 16-day run. Be aware, the swell is a long-period groundswell, so at a sandbar break like Polihale, it might wall up and close out a bit, but with this size and that wind, it’ll still have plenty of fun corners.
For the beginners out there, the Saturday and Sunday at the end of the window (4 ft to 4 ft) is right on the edge of being too much, so watch your limits. The rest of the period is flat, so it's a waiting game until that last weekend.
Stay patient, the ocean's got a reward for us.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed morning, min 24°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | Monday 14 | Tuesday 15 | Wednesday 16 | Thursday 17 | Friday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 8 | SW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 11 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NNE 6 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
118 | 138 | 152 | 129 | 112 | 129 | 120 | 115 | 69 | 67 | 54 | 51 | 89 | 82 | 73 | 15 | 8 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 11 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 3:55PM0.48m | 4:58AM0.54m | 4:12PM0.42m | 5:42AM0.55m | 4:21PM0.37m | 6:31AM0.55m | 4:06PM0.33m | 7:32AM0.53m | 8:53AM0.52m | 10:22AM0.53m | |||||||||||
Low Tide | 10:11AM0.20m | 10:15PM0.10m | 11:04AM0.24m | 10:33PM0.09m | 12:04PM0.28m | 10:52PM0.10m | 1:33PM0.31m | 11:13PM0.11m | 11:36PM0.12m | 00:08AM0.14m | 1:19AM0.16m | ||||||||||
6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | 6:26 | — | — | |
— | 6:45 | — | — | 6:44 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:38 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
Feels °C | 29 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 31 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 9 | E 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NNE 8 | ENE 6 | SSW 18 | SW 18 | NNE 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | E 9 |
88 | 68 | 152 | 129 | 112 | 129 | 120 | 115 | 69 | 67 | 54 | 33 | 273 | 316 | 73 | 169 | 171 | 404 | 383 | 329 | 225 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 10 | SSW 16 | E 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 5 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 22 | SW 21 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | NNE 8 | E 11 | E 10 | SSW 17 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | WNW 11 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
98 | 98 | 67 | 27 | 8 | 51 | 49 | 119 | 117 | 256 | 251 | 51 | 37 | 32 | 190 | 149 | 148 | 13 | 373 | 427 | 326 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SSW 11 | SSW 13 | SW 15 | ENE 9 | WNW 12 | SSW 23 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | E 5 | E 12 | SSW 19 | WNW 10 | SSW 11 | SSW 21 | SW 10 | WNW 9 | WNW 9 | NW 10 | NW 9 | NNE 6 |
118 | 22 | 67 | 54 | 16 | 14 | 54 | 48 | 34 | 14 | 26 | 246 | 9 | 12 | 86 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 14 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 9 | — | — | E 5 | E 5 | E 4 | E 4 | E 5 | — | ENE 5 | — | NE 7 | NE 7 | E 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 10 | — | — | — |
— | 138 | — | — | 11 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 13 | — | 20 | — | 89 | 82 | 86 | 234 | 319 | 518 | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaua'i | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Polihale Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Polihale provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Polihale can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Polihale surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Polihale) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Polihale may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a vacation in Kaua'i? If you are looking for accommodation near Polihale, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in Kaua'i, consider staying in Nawiliwili which is 43 km (27 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Lihue - Kauai which is 45 km (28 miles) away









