Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s see what we’ve got for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a grim picture for the most part. We’re looking at a long stretch of very small, weak swell with a lot of funky cross-shore wind. The best we can hope for is a few fleeting moments of clean, glassy conditions, but the waves themselves will be tiny. There’s a real gap here with hardly anything worth paddling out for.

The standout window, if you can call it that, is Wednesday the 9th at Polihale. The morning starts clean with a light cross-off breeze from the SSW, and a small 4 ft NW swell, period of 8 seconds. That’s a short-period swell, so it won’t have much grunt, but the wind is light. The real gem is the afternoon. The wind goes completely glassy, calm with a 4 ft NW swell, period 9 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 210. The water temperature is a balmy 80°, which is about average for this time of year. For a few hours, it’ll be as smooth as a lake. The break is a sandbar, so it’s not the most reliable, but with those conditions, it’s the best shot we’ve got.

The rest of the week is a write-off. Thursday the 10th drops to 2 ft, and by the afternoon a risk of thunderstorms rolls in. It’s all downhill from there, with tiny waves and poor surf conditions through the 11th, 12th, and 13th. There’s a little blip of a 2 ft, 16-second period groundswell on the morning of the 11th and 12th, but that’s a very long period for a tiny wave at a beach break like Polihale. It’ll likely break too straight, offering little shape.

The second week is the same story. The 14th, 15th, and 16th are all about knee-high dribble. The combined energy is mostly in the weak range, like 31 on the 14th afternoon, or 43 on the 16th. A few of these mornings are glassy, like the 15th and 23rd, but the swell is so small (2 ft, 2 ft) it’s barely surfable. The 17th of September sees a slight uptick in swell to 3 ft, period 11 seconds, with a combined energy of 228, but the wind is a cross-off at 9 mph, which is not ideal. By the 20th, there’s a 2 ft NW swell with a period of 11 seconds, but it’s just ordinary.

The 23rd of September, the last day in the window, shows a clean, glassy morning with a 2 ft NNW swell, period 10 seconds, and a combined energy of 97. It’s a weak, tiny wave, but it’s clean. For a long-range call, it’s promising but not a bet I’d take to the bank.

Alright, if you’re a beginner, the swell never gets above 5 ft, so you’re safe from anything too big, but there’s nothing to ride anyway. The whole setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than anyone with a paddle. We’ll just have to wait for the next system.

Rusty.

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