Polihale Surf Break

Lat Long: 22.09° N 159.75° W

Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 am 18 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Polihale sea temperature is
26.9° C
0.1° 

Polihale surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Polihale surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 16s period, SW swell with glassy winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 22 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s period, WNW swell with 412 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 5PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 6s 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 5PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 6s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Polihale in the next 16 days are 1.2m 12s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 22) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.0m 8s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5AM.

Wave TypeTime (HST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5PM (Wed 19th Aug)2.5ft (0.7m) 6s
Best Surf11PM (Thu 20th Aug)1.5ft (0.5m) 16s
Most Powerful 2PM (Sat 22nd Aug)4ft (1.2m) 12s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Polihale over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for the west side.

Honestly, the first week and a half is a bit of a struggle to get excited about. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak waves that just aren’t holding any power. The first few days up to the 21st are mostly tiny, short-period slop with barely any energy – numbers like 0 to 64 for the combined energy - just not worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting around 80°, which is spot on for this time of year, so that's one thing not to complain about.

The first real hint of something decent shows up on Saturday the 22nd. The swell fills in nicely from the WNW, pushing 4ft to 4ft with a solid 12-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, and the combined energy jumps way up into the 300s and 400s, which is a huge step up from the junk we’ve been seeing. The wind is looking glassy or near-calm, which is a major positive. The swell direction is out of the WNW, which is close to the optimum NW direction for Polihale, so the setup should be clean and lined up. This is the standout of the whole forecast. The size is solidly in the intermediate zone, not too big, not too small.

After that Saturday, the swell backs off pretty quickly. Sunday the 23rd is still rideable but smaller, and by Monday the 24th it’s fading again. The wind stays onshore or cross-shore, making it choppy. There’s a gap of a few days of no surf or very poor conditions after that.

Looking further out, the end of the month and into September gets a little more interesting. Around Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, we see another pulse of swell, this time from the SW. The period is around 11 seconds, with combined energy hitting 233 on the 28th afternoon. That’s a moderate bump, but it’s a solid south-west groundswell that should wrap in okay. The wind is forecast to be light and cross-off, which is a good sign. The size is around 3ft, so it’s not a big day, but it will be clean and fun. It’s a bit of a wait, but it’s something to keep an eye on for a session.

If you’re not a beginner, I’d pencil in Saturday the 22nd for the best waves of the period. The swell has some punch, the wind is clean, and the wave quality should be the best we see. The later SW swell on the 28th is a promising second option for a clean, smaller wave, but it’s a long way out so don’t book the time off just yet.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Tue morning, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun morning, min 25°C on Fri morning). Wind will be generally light.

Tuesday
18
Wednesday
19
Thursday
20
Friday
21
Saturday
22
Sunday
23
Monday
24
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
0
0
1
0
0
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
S
13
0.4
WNW
12
0.4
WNW
12
0.6
NE
7
0.7
NE
6
0.8
NE
6
0.8
NE
6
0.8
NE
6
0.8
NE
7
0.6
W
10
0.6
W
10
0.7
W
10
1.1
WNW
12
1.2
WNW
12
1
WNW
11
0.9
NW
10
0.7
NW
11
0.6
NW
10
0.6
NW
10
0.6
NW
10
0.4
NW
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
0
49
48
37
40
46
49
49
67
78
73
100
333
399
247
145
110
63
63
65
37
Wind (km/h)
10
E
5
E
10
E
5
ENE
5
NE
5
E
0
E
5
NE
5
NE
10
SSW
0
SSE
0
ENE
5
E
5
NNW
10
E
10
ENE
15
NE
15
ENE
10
ENE
25
E
20
ENE
Wind State
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross-off
glassy
cross
cross
cross-off
glassy
glassy
glassy
glassy
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
8:38AM0.49m
10:07AM0.51m
11:26AM0.53m
12:23PM0.57m
1:05PM0.59m
11:49PM0.22m
1:40PM0.62m
00:48AM0.24m
2:10PM0.64m
1:30AM0.27m
Low Tide
1:02AM0.13m
1:44AM0.13m
2:53AM0.14m
4:19AM0.13m
9:37PM0.21m
5:28AM0.11m
9:26PM0.20m
6:20AM0.09m
9:31PM0.19m
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:16
6:16
6:18
6:18
6:18
6:18
6:18
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
7:07
7:07
7:06
7:05
7:04
7:02
7:01
 mm
Temp °C
26
26
26
26
26
25
26
26
25
26
26
26
27
27
26
28
28
26
27
28
26
Feels °C
29
29
29
29
29
28
30
30
29
29
30
30
30
31
29
31
31
27
29
29
26
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Polihale:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Polihale surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


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

Nearest locationNearest