Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ at Polihale over the next couple of weeks.

The honest truth, mate, is that this stretch is looking mostly flat and pretty uninspiring for a long while. The first proper surf worth paddling out for doesn’t pop up until late in the first week. The opening days from Tuesday the 25th right through to the end of the month are all tiny, weak, and frankly, not worth getting wet for. The combined swell energy is barely a whisper, sitting in the 20 to 40 range, with wave heights barely bumping 2 ft. The wind is mostly cross-offshore, but there’s just not enough push. There’s a bit of a tease on Saturday afternoon the 29th – the swell bumps to 3 ft from the NE, with energy climbing to 76, but it’s still only “surfable but very ordinary”. You could catch a few soft ones, but you won’t be telling your mates about it. Then we hit a real dead zone from Sunday the 30th through to Wednesday the 2nd of September – a gap of several days with zero surf on offer. Glassy mornings and offshore breezes won’t help when there’s nothing to ride.

Now, the first real standout, and the only time this forecast gets my heart going a little, is Monday morning the 31st of August. The swell jumps to 5 ft from the NE with a combined energy of 229 – that’s moderate energy, enough to get some proper walls goin’. But here’s the catch: the period is a short 7 seconds, so it’s gonna be a bit soft and lumpy. The wind is a light cross-shore, so the surface won’t be pristine. This one is a maybe for a keen intermediate who doesn’t mind a bit of chop. For beginners, 5 ft might be a bit much, so watch yourself.

After that, it dries up again. We get another little pulse on Thursday the 3rd of September morning – 3 ft from the NE with energy at 119, and glassy winds. That’s your best chance for clean, small waves. The period is 8 seconds, so nothing special, but a glassy surface makes everything better. Then Friday the 4th has a tiny 3 ft swell, but it’s fading.

A notable one pops up way out in the long-range: Wednesday morning the 9th of September. We see a 1 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 15 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, which usually means long, clean lines. The combined swell energy is 122 – moderate. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the ENE. This is the kind of setup that can make a small swell ride way bigger than its height, especially if it’s lining up on the sandbar. But it’s a long way out, so take that with a grain of salt. It’s a promising whisper for the future.

So, what’s the best on offer? If you’re a keen surfer, your window is Monday morning the 31st of August for the biggest, punchiest (but messy) waves, or Thursday morning the 3rd of September for smaller, glassy, clean waves. For the patient, that long-period pulse on the 9th of September could be a hidden gem if it holds.

Polihale is exposed to NW and NE swell, and it’s a sandbar, so it can be fickle. The water temp is about average for this time of year. Just don’t expect fireworks. The forecast confidence for the first week is solid, but that second-week action is a promise, not a guarantee.

Rusty.

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