Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’re looking at a pretty flat start. The first sign of any real surf won’t show up until the morning of Friday the 1st of August, and even then it’s a tiny 2ft SW swell with a 15-second period at Polihale. The wind is cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but there’s just no push to get excited about. The wave energy is weak (112), and honestly, it’s more of a paddle than a surf.

After that, we hit another dry spell. From Saturday the 2nd right through to the 8th, it’s a whole lot of nothing. A few pops of 1ft to 1ft show up, but the energy is next to nothing (single and low double digits), and the conditions are just ordinary. The wind is mostly cross-off or light, keeping the surface clean, but there’s nothing to ride.

That blank run stretches out for a solid seven days. It’s not until Sunday the 9th of August that we see a faint pulse of life: a 2ft W swell with a long 13-second period on Sunday morning, and the energy climbs to 79. Then Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th serve up similar 2ft to 2ft W swells, with energy creeping up to 115 and 92. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but these are still very small waves. It’s surfable, but you won’t be bragging about it.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Mark your calendars for Wednesday the 12th of August. Wednesday afternoon brings a 2ft W swell, but the period jumps to 16 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy ramps up to 293, which is a solid moderate wave energy. The wind is light cross-shore, so it’s a little bumpy, but that long period is going to hold up well. This is a promising sign, but it’s still a bit on the small side.

The real standout window opens up from Thursday the 13th of August through to Friday the 14th. Thursday morning at Polihale, we’ve got a 3ft W swell, 13-second period, with offshore wind from the SE at just 3 mph. The energy is a strong 255. The conditions are clean and glassy, and this is a classic setup for a west-facing sandbar. The offshore wind will keep the faces perfect. Thursday afternoon is even better – glassy conditions with the same 3ft W swell and 12-second period, energy at 235. Friday the 14th continues the theme with 3ft W swells, clean conditions, and light cross-off wind. The water temp is a standard 80°F for this time of year, so no surprises there.

But the absolute best of the whole forecast, the one you want to call in sick for, is Saturday the 15th of August. Saturday morning, the swell jumps to 5ft from the west, 12-second period, and the energy is 891 – strong wave energy. The wind is glassy from the south. This is properly good surf. Then Saturday afternoon, the swell peaks at 12ft from the west. The period drops to 8 seconds, so it’s a shorter period swell, but the energy is massive at 1714. The wind is glassy again. Now, at 12ft, this is expert-only territory. It’s too big for beginners and will be a handful for most. But for the experienced crew, this is an excellent window. The glassy conditions will make it a dream.

So, if you’re planning, the best surf on offer is Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th for the solid, clean, manageable 3ft groundswell. The absolute standout is Saturday the 15th, but that’s for the big-wave specialists only. The first week is a write-off, but the second week pays off.

Rusty.

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