Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s goin’ down at Polihale. Gotta be honest – the next few days are lookin’ flat and quiet. We’re in for a long stretch of small, weak energy and pretty ordinary conditions. Don’t get your hopes up until the second week.

The first real bit of surf shows up on the afternoon of Tuesday, August 5th, but it’s just a tiny 1 ft swell from the west. The wind is glassy, which is a beauty, but the energy is weak (28) and the wave comment says it all – poor surf. The water is 81°, which is about average for this time of year, so no big deal.

Wednesday through to the weekend stays pretty lousy. We get a few tiny bumps from the NNW and NE, mostly under 1 ft, with periods around 7-8 seconds. The wind stays light or glassy, nice for the view, but the swell just isn’t there. The combined energy stays below 100 for most of it. On the 9th of August, the afternoon sees a bit of a lift with a 4 ft swell from the NE, period 8 seconds, and moderate energy (163). It’s still called “surfable but very ordinary” – not worth paddlin’ out for unless you’re really keen.

The real window starts to open up around the 12th of August. We start seein’ longer period swells from the west, with periods of 14-15 seconds. The energy builds into the low hundreds and then jumps. By the morning of the 19th, we’ve got a 3 ft swell from the west, period 14 seconds, and the combined energy hits 261 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind is light and cross-off, and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” This is the standout of the whole outlook. The swell direction is from the west, matchin’ the optimum direction for Polihale, and with a 14-second period, that’s a proper groundswell. It’ll be clean and lined up.

Now, if you’re a beginner, 3 ft is fine, but the long period (over 11 seconds) means the waves will have more push and longer gaps between sets. The break is a sandbar, so it might close out a bit, but the wind bein’ light and cross-off is a massive plus. Just keep in mind, crowds are possible here “sometimes,” so don’t expect to have it to yourself.

Take note: from the 4th to the 12th, it’s almost a full week of no real surf. The 19th is the day to circle. It’s far out, so treat it as a promising call, but the forecast confidence is decent for that range.

Rusty, signing off.

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