
Surf Forecasts:
Polihale surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 9s period, SW swell with 1,671 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 8 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 8s period with WNW 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 Tuesday (Sep 08) at 8PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.6m and 8s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Polihale in the next 16 days are 3.5m 9s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 7.5m 13s period and expected on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Tue 8th Sep) | 5ft (1.6m) 8s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 9s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Polihale over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, surf’s been flat and grumpy around Polihale for a stretch, and this outlook is a long haul before we see anything that gets the heart rate up. We’re looking at a lot of small, weak surf and a few windows of clean conditions, but only a couple of days that are actually worth circling on the calendar.
The first few days are a write-off. Monday the 7th has nothing but wind and rain – a fresh breeze out of the ENE at 19 mph and a storm threat. No surf to speak of, just blown-out chaos. Tuesday the 8th sees a pulse of southwest swell jump to 12 ft, but it’s a short-period windswell and the wind is howling from the SSW at 22 mph. This is a messy, junky day, not worth paddling out. Wednesday the 9th calms right down with some clean, glassy conditions, but the swell drops off to under 3 ft. You’ll get a few crumbly little waves but nothing with any push.
Thursday the 10th is another flat, poor day. Friday the 11th has a long-period 16-second swell rolling in at 2 ft from the southwest—it’s weak energy but clean. That’s it, just a hint of something on the horizon.
This brings us to the first real standout. Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th look the best of the run so far. It’s not big, with swell around 2 ft to 3 ft from the northeast, but the conditions are glassy with just a slight air. Saturday morning is particularly clean, with the water temp at a normal 80°. It’s going to be small and gentle, but it’s clean and rideable. Not a day for the heavy hitters, but for a longboard and some fun, it’ll be alright.
After that, we go into a long, quiet stretch. From the 14th through the 18th, it’s mostly small, weak northeast swell, often under 3 ft, with light winds. The surf is there but it’s pretty ordinary. The energy is low, and conditions are often clean but with nothing to work with. The 19th sees a bump of 4 ft from the northeast on Saturday morning, but the wind is up at 12 mph and the quality isn’t there. It’s a messy, average day.
The final stretch into the 20th and 21st is more of the same – small, weak swells from the northwest and north-northwest. The 21st has a 12-second period swell on Monday afternoon, but it’s still only 1 ft. It’s clean and glassy, but it’s a wave for a log, not a performance board. On the 22nd, we have a clean, glassy Tuesday morning with a 2 ft northwest swell, but again, it’s small.
So, the honest truth: there are no big, powerful swells in this 16-day window for Polihale. The best bet is the clean, small surf on Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th. It’s not a standout for size, but it’s the cleanest, most user-friendly surf we get. Everything else is mostly flat or marginal. Water temp is normal for this time of year, so the wetsuit situation is comfortable.
Keep the board waxed, but don’t get your hopes up for a bomb. It’s a quiet spell.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 83mm), heaviest during Mon morning. Warm (max 27°C on Mon night, min 23°C on Mon morning). Winds decreasing (severe gales from the SE on Mon night, calm by Wed night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu afternoon. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 24°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | Sunday 13 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | NW 13 | NW 12 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | NW 7 | ENE 8 | SW 16 | SW 16 | NNE 7 | SW 15 | SW 16 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
0 | 44 | 37 | 1671 | 661 | 210 | 82 | 60 | 56 | 11 | 0 | 129 | 122 | 43 | 109 | 118 | 77 | 93 | 93 | 100 | 72 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:31PM0.68m | 1:22AM0.29m | 2:07PM0.68m | 2:09AM0.35m | 2:39PM0.65m | 2:52AM0.41m | 3:08PM0.60m | 3:35AM0.47m | 3:33PM0.54m | 4:16AM0.51m | 3:55PM0.48m | 4:58AM0.54m | 4:12PM0.42m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 8:48PM0.16m | 6:48AM0.08m | 9:04PM0.15m | 7:42AM0.09m | 9:21PM0.13m | 8:32AM0.11m | 9:39PM0.12m | 9:22AM0.15m | 9:57PM0.11m | 10:11AM0.20m | 10:15PM0.10m | 11:04AM0.24m | 10:33PM0.09m | ||||||||
6:22 | — | — | 6:22 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | |
— | 6:50 | — | — | 6:49 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:44 | — | |
mm | 32 | 10 | 34 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
Temp °C | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 |
Feels °C | 24 | 25 | 20 | 24 | 25 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 27 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | ENE 9 | ENE 10 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | SSW 13 | ENE 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | E 10 | ENE 10 | NE 9 | NE 9 | ENE 9 | NE 8 |
478 | 3156 | 1121 | 628 | 593 | 452 | 235 | 154 | 125 | 131 | 186 | 157 | 120 | 102 | 158 | 200 | 163 | 93 | 93 | 33 | 72 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 9 | NW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | NW 8 | NW 8 | NW 7 | NW 7 | E 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | E 11 | NNE 7 | SW 15 | NE 8 | NE 9 | SSW 13 | ENE 9 | SW 14 | E 9 |
671 | 176 | 37 | 413 | 376 | 210 | 82 | 60 | 56 | 77 | 119 | 81 | 94 | 43 | 109 | 59 | 77 | 67 | 47 | 54 | 40 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 12 | NW 13 | — | NW 11 | NW 12 | S 8 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NW 7 | E 12 | SW 16 | SW 16 | E 11 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | WNW 12 | SSW 14 |
416 | 44 | — | 20 | 34 | 133 | 261 | 187 | 135 | 11 | 73 | 129 | 122 | 64 | 26 | 118 | 98 | 64 | 54 | 15 | 79 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 8 | E 8 | S 13 | SW 9 | WSW 8 | — | — | — | — | ENE 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 10 | E 5 | NE 8 | — |
378 | 836 | 18480 | 1671 | 661 | — | — | — | — | 237 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 128 | 8 | 100 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 465 | 341 | 342 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Kaua'i | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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









