
Surf Forecasts:
Polihale surf forecast from 12 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 14 Jul, 11AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.8m), 16s period, W swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 14 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, W swell with 391 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 12 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 16s period with SW 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 Sunday (Jul 12) at 2PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.6m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s. 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 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Jul 14) at 11PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 8s period and expected on Sunday (Jul 12) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 2PM (Sun 12th Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 11AM (Tue 14th Jul) | 2.5ft (0.8m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 11PM (Tue 14th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Polihale over the next 16 days.
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's coming our way.
First thing's first: Polihale is a sandbar setup that's fairly consistent and exposed to the NW, with the optimum direction being from the NW. The water temp is sitting at 79° which is pretty much dead average for this time of year, so nothing to write home about on that front.
The good news is there's a run of surfable days starting this Sunday, 12 July, and running through to the following Friday. It kicks off Sunday morning with some chest-high swell from the NE at 6ft, period of 8 seconds, and a moderate combined energy of 382. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze at 9 mph, which will keep things fairly clean. This is the biggest swell of the whole window, but the period is short, so it'll be a bit lumpy and less powerful than you'd hope. Not a standout, but a solid start.
The real standout of the window is Tuesday, 14 July. The morning session sees a more manageable 3ft swell from the W, with a long period of 16 seconds and a strong combined energy of 512. That's groundswell, folks. The wind is light and cross-off at 6 mph, meaning clean conditions. This is the best combination of size, quality, and wind in the entire forecast. The long period will make for some real nice, lined-up waves at this sandbar, with decent gaps between sets. A true highlight.
Wednesday, 15 July holds similar promise, with 3ft from the W and a 15-second period, energy around 371-440, and light cross-off winds. Another excellent morning and afternoon session. Thursday, 16 July, sees things drop a touch to 3ft from the W, period 14 seconds, still clean and with good energy (268). By Friday, 17 July, the swell fades a bit to 2-2ft, but Friday afternoon goes glassy with a 3 mph breeze – that'll be a fun, small-wave session.
Now, after that, we hit a major gap. From Saturday, 18 July, all the way through to Thursday, 24 July, it's basically flat or junk. The swell drops to tiny 1-1ft, or zero, and the wave comments are all "poor surf conditions." The energy values are mostly in the double digits or zero. It's a real dry spell, about a week of nothing worth paddling out for.
Then, on Friday, 24 July, a new pulse of short-period swell shows up. The morning has 4ft from the NE at a weak 6 seconds, but the wind is cross-shore, creating chop. By the afternoon, it's 4ft from the NE, but the period is still 6 seconds, and the wind is a gentle cross-shore, making for messy conditions. The combined energy is 213, but the ride won't be great. Saturday, 25 July, through Sunday, 26 July, drops to 3ft from the NE, period still 6 seconds, with cross-off winds. The wave comments say "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," which is a fair call. The energy is low, in the 70-80 range.
Finally, on Monday, 27 July, we get a repeat of the first day: 6ft from the NE with an 8-second period, clean cross-off winds, and energy of 382. It's a similar setup to the start of the window, but the period is still short and the wind is cross-off, not offshore. Not a bad way to close out the period, but it's not the quality of that Tuesday session.
So, there's your picture. The best bet by far is the Tuesday 14 July morning session, with that long-period groundswell and clean conditions. Wednesday is also a ripper. The rest of the window is a mix of average short-period swells and a long flat spell. Get on it while you can.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastSome drizzle, heaviest during Tue morning. Warm (max 27°C on Sun morning, min 24°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Wed morning. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 12 | Monday 13 | Tuesday 14 | Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 8 | SW 16 | NE 8 | W 19 | W 18 | W 17 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | W 15 | W 15 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
335 | 203 | 267 | 173 | 158 | 205 | 343 | 334 | 391 | 371 | 357 | 343 | 268 | 268 | 200 | 192 | 136 | 38 | 42 | 47 | 31 | |
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-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:57PM0.79m | 1:35AM0.22m | 3:39PM0.80m | 2:37AM0.23m | 4:19PM0.78m | 3:36AM0.25m | 4:56PM0.75m | 4:36AM0.28m | 5:30PM0.69m | 5:41AM0.31m | 5:59PM0.62m | 6:53AM0.34m | 6:24PM0.54m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 10:50PM0.19m | 7:37AM-0.04m | 11:18PM0.18m | 8:26AM-0.03m | 11:47PM0.17m | 9:14AM0.01m | 00:16AM0.16m | 10:01AM0.07m | 00:44AM0.15m | 10:48AM0.14m | 1:11AM0.14m | 11:40AM0.23m | 1:39AM0.13m | ||||||||
6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | |
— | 7:25 | — | — | 7:25 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:24 | — | — | 7:23 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Feels °C | 28 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SW 16 | E 8 | NE 7 | SSW 15 | NNE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 8 | ENE 7 | W 15 | NE 7 | NE 7 | W 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | NNE 7 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 7 | E 8 |
173 | 203 | 84 | 147 | 142 | 76 | 169 | 174 | 164 | 131 | 357 | 140 | 112 | 268 | 232 | 198 | 42 | 55 | 40 | 44 | 130 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 12 | W 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | W 18 | E 8 | W 16 | W 16 | W 16 | W 15 | ENE 7 | W 15 | W 14 | SSW 13 | W 14 | W 14 | W 14 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 |
47 | 46 | 162 | 148 | 158 | 97 | 343 | 334 | 391 | 371 | 82 | 343 | 268 | 96 | 200 | 192 | 136 | 38 | 42 | 47 | 31 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | W 12 | W 19 | S 11 | W 17 | E 8 | E 8 | SW 13 | SSW 13 | NNE 8 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 18 | NNE 8 | SSW 10 | SSW 14 | S 14 | S 14 | SSW 12 |
21 | 21 | 26 | 173 | 10 | 205 | 47 | 46 | 83 | 108 | 83 | 160 | 104 | 116 | 61 | 33 | 77 | 156 | 138 | 146 | 48 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | E 8 | ENE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 7 | E 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | — | E 7 | — |
335 | 368 | 267 | 133 | 240 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 188 | 73 | 110 | 123 | 102 | 73 | — | — | 89 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
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









