Surf Forecasts:
Publics surf forecast from 18 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 17s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Monday 24 Aug, 8PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 7s period, ENE swell with 604 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 11PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 16s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Publics this week:
The surf forecast for Publics over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 19) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 16s period with a secondary swell of 0.7m and 8s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Publics in the next 16 days are 2.4m 7s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 24) at 8PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 7s period and expected on Friday (Aug 21) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 16s |
| Best Surf | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 17s |
| Most Powerful | 8PM (Mon 24th Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 7s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Publics over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty checkin' in from the Publics break. Let's get straight into it.
Well, I gotta be honest with you, the next week and a half looks pretty average for a solid paddle session. The first few days are gonna be a grind, with small, weak swell and a persistent cross-off wind that just won't let up. We're lookin' at a real dry spell until around the 20th of August. There's a bit of a wait, but hang in there.
Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th are a write-off. Tiny waves, that 2.6 ft to 4.3 ft range, but that ENE wind is just messin' it all up, plus Tuesday's swell is a short-period windswell that'll be all chop. It's a struggle just to get a ride.
Wednesday the 19th is even smaller, with 1.3 ft to 1.6 ft. There's a nice long 16-second period from the SSW, but it's just not got the height. You'd be bobbin' around.
Now, Thursday the 20th of August is the first real glimmer of hope. We finally get a light breeze, and on Thursday afternoon we even snag an offshore wind from the NE. The swell is still tiny at 2 ft, but it's a clean 17 to 18-second groundswell from the SSW. The wave energy is still low (279) but it's clean and glassy, perfect for a longboard. The crowds here are always an issue, so you'll be sharing it, but it's the best lookin' couple of days in the first week. Friday the 21st and Saturday morning the 22nd hold similar conditions with clean 2.3 ft surf, so snag a window then. Saturday afternoon the wind kicks back up hard to 22 mph and ruins it.
Then we hit Sunday the 23rd and into the next week, and the size jumps up, but so does the wind. From the 23rd to the 27th of August, we get a solid ENE windswell, but it's comin' in with a short period (7 to 9 seconds) and a nasty cross-off breeze that's gonna tear the faces off. The swell hits 11.5 ft on Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, but with that wind, it's gonna be a choppy, blown-out mess. The combined energy gets into the thousands (1836 to 2730), but the quality is poor. For you beginners, anything over 5 ft is too much, and this is in the expert-only zone, but the conditions are so bad it's hardly worth the paddle. It's more of a kite-surfing scene than a paddle-surfing one.
The water temp is sittin' around 80.8°F, which is normal for this time of year.
The real standout, the one that might be worth a special trip, is lookin' like the end of the month, around Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th of August. The swell jumps up to 6.9 ft to 8.2 ft, but crucially, the period stretches out to 12 seconds and the direction swings to the SSW. With a 12-second period and a direction from the SW, that's real groundswell energy, and at over 8 ft, it's strictly for the experienced crew. The combined energy is massive (2390 to 2596), but the wind is still a problem, blowin' a fresh 22 to 25 mph cross-off from the ENE. It's a powerful, thumping swell but likely unruly. If you're a charger, keep an eye on it, but the wind needs to cooperate.
After that, the 30th and 31st of August and into September, the size drops back and the wind gets even stronger, 28 mph, so we're back to a poor outlook. A blank run is never guaranteed, but right now, this area has a long stretch of wind that just won't quit.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Mon afternoon, min 24°C on Mon night). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu afternoon, min 24°C on Thu night). Winds increasing (light winds from the NE on Thu night, fresh winds from the ENE by Sun morning). | |||||||||||||||||||
Mon 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 14 | ENE 7 | S 13 | S 13 | ENE 8 | SW 16 | E 8 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 17 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
260 | 172 | 165 | 136 | 159 | 129 | 100 | 129 | 207 | 200 | 274 | 291 | 261 | 322 | 261 | 255 | 307 | 265 | 207 | 295 | |
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-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:52PM0.37m | 8:59AM0.51m | 7:16PM0.30m | 10:13AM0.53m | 11:25AM0.56m | 10:11PM0.21m | 12:25PM0.59m | 00:08AM0.21m | 1:12PM0.63m | 1:06AM0.23m | 1:52PM0.66m | 1:46AM0.26m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 1:27AM0.08m | 3:56PM0.27m | 2:01AM0.10m | 2:47AM0.12m | 8:27PM0.20m | 8:41PM0.17m | 5:06AM0.12m | 9:00PM0.16m | 6:08AM0.10m | 9:18PM0.14m | ||||||||||
— | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | 6:11 | — | — | |
7:00 | — | — | 6:59 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:57 | — | — | 6:55 | — | — | 6:54 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 |
Feels °C | 26 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 23 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | S 13 | ENE 7 | S 13 | S 13 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SW 17 | NE 7 | ENE 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | S 13 | SSW 15 | SW 14 |
237 | 170 | 135 | 119 | 116 | 109 | 84 | 63 | 72 | 101 | 108 | 291 | 65 | 85 | 261 | 255 | 212 | 90 | 144 | 100 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 14 | E 9 | S 13 | SW 18 | SW 18 | NNE 7 | SSW 16 | NE 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | E 7 | SW 16 | SSW 16 | E 8 | ESE 8 | S 14 | SW 15 | SSE 11 | SSE 13 |
260 | 25 | 165 | 80 | 79 | 30 | 100 | 31 | 207 | 200 | 274 | 36 | 261 | 322 | 29 | 22 | 104 | 115 | 24 | 57 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 5 | SW 6 | SW 17 | W 13 | W 12 | SW 16 | S 12 | SW 16 | NNE 6 | S 11 | S 11 | NNE 7 | W 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | SSW 15 |
6 | 6 | 74 | 31 | 25 | 129 | 45 | 129 | 27 | 21 | 21 | 30 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 35 | 19 | 47 | 22 | 71 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | ENE 7 | ENE 8 | — | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 |
153 | 172 | — | 136 | 159 | — | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 80 | 125 | 307 | 265 | 207 | 295 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 125 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Oahu | ||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Publics Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Publics provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Publics can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Publics 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 (Publics) 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 Publics 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.
Publics is 6 km (4 miles) from Honolulu. If you plan a vacation in Oahu, look for hotels and other accommodation in Honolulu. Honolulu has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.











