Polihale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for the west side.

Honestly, the first week and a half is a bit of a struggle to get excited about. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak waves that just aren’t holding any power. The first few days up to the 21st are mostly tiny, short-period slop with barely any energy – numbers like 0 to 64 for the combined energy - just not worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting around 80°, which is spot on for this time of year, so that's one thing not to complain about.

The first real hint of something decent shows up on Saturday the 22nd. The swell fills in nicely from the WNW, pushing 4ft to 4ft with a solid 12-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, and the combined energy jumps way up into the 300s and 400s, which is a huge step up from the junk we’ve been seeing. The wind is looking glassy or near-calm, which is a major positive. The swell direction is out of the WNW, which is close to the optimum NW direction for Polihale, so the setup should be clean and lined up. This is the standout of the whole forecast. The size is solidly in the intermediate zone, not too big, not too small.

After that Saturday, the swell backs off pretty quickly. Sunday the 23rd is still rideable but smaller, and by Monday the 24th it’s fading again. The wind stays onshore or cross-shore, making it choppy. There’s a gap of a few days of no surf or very poor conditions after that.

Looking further out, the end of the month and into September gets a little more interesting. Around Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th, we see another pulse of swell, this time from the SW. The period is around 11 seconds, with combined energy hitting 233 on the 28th afternoon. That’s a moderate bump, but it’s a solid south-west groundswell that should wrap in okay. The wind is forecast to be light and cross-off, which is a good sign. The size is around 3ft, so it’s not a big day, but it will be clean and fun. It’s a bit of a wait, but it’s something to keep an eye on for a session.

If you’re not a beginner, I’d pencil in Saturday the 22nd for the best waves of the period. The swell has some punch, the wind is clean, and the wave quality should be the best we see. The later SW swell on the 28th is a promising second option for a clean, smaller wave, but it’s a long way out so don’t book the time off just yet.

Rusty.

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