
Surf Forecasts:
Publics surf forecast from 5 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 18s period, S swell with 620 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Publics this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Publics in the next 16 days are 1.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 08) at 2AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 18s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Publics over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a honest look at what the next couple of weeks are shaping up like for Publics.
Right off the bat, it’s a pretty bleak start for the first week, honestly. The first surf we can even talk about is on Wednesday, August 5th, but it's nothing to get excited about. The water temp is bang on average for the time of year at 81°, so that's one small win.
Wednesday morning sees a small 4ft swell from the ENE with a period of 10 seconds, but the wind is a moderate cross-off at 16 mph. Combined wave energy is weak (347). The call is marginal at best. The afternoon stays much the same with 4ft and a bit more energy (379), but still side-shore breeze and a marginal call. We then hit a real dry spell from Thursday, August 6th, right through to Monday, August 10th. For days on end, the swell drops to a tiny 1ft and the conditions are rated as poor. It's a proper flat spell, so don't even bother waxing up.
Monday afternoon, August 10th, shows a tiny blip of 2ft from the SSW with a 15-second period, but it's still rated poor. This pattern of small, poor-quality SSW groundswell with moderate to fresh cross-off winds drags through the rest of the week. The longer period (14-21 seconds) on these small swells suggests more energy than the height indicates, but the wave state is just not good. We see combined energy jump into the moderate range (from 400 up to 894) but it’s all for nothing with the winds being what they are.
The weekend of August 15th and 16th brings a bigger ENE windswell, pushing 6ft to 7ft, but with a short, choppy period of just 7 seconds. The wind picks up to a strong breeze at 25 mph. This is a classic messy, blown-out setup. Honestly, with that much wind and a beach-and-reef setup, this looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It's poor conditions across the board.
The second week doesn’t get much better. Monday, August 17th offers a 7ft, 8-second ENE windswell with fresh cross-off winds, but still rated poor. There is a brief spike in combined energy (663) but no quality. The end of the window, around August 19th and 20th, sees a small 2ft to 5ft mix of ENE and S swells, but again, the wave state is poor and the energy is weak to moderate.
Overall, it’s a tough outlook for Publics. There are no standout sessions on the horizon. The winds are consistently cross-off or onshore-ish and the swell quality is just not cooperating. It's a long, blank run that looks fairly normal for this stretch of coast when the trade winds set in. Forecasts can change, but right now, I'd keep the board in the bag.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Wed morning, min 24°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 26°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sat morning). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 5 | Thursday 6 | Friday 7 | Saturday 8 | Sunday 9 | Monday 10 | Tuesday 11 | |||||||||||||||
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) | ENE 10 | ENE 9 | ENE 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | ENE 8 | SW 21 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 14 | S 20 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
253 | 203 | 88 | 81 | 80 | 107 | 115 | 99 | 148 | 201 | 195 | 281 | 294 | 376 | 294 | 252 | 176 | 184 | 165 | 269 | 373 | |
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 | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:11AM0.53m | 8:07PM0.29m | 11:24AM0.60m | 9:30PM0.22m | 12:27PM0.67m | 11:32PM0.19m | 1:22PM0.73m | 00:59AM0.19m | 2:10PM0.78m | 2:02AM0.22m | 2:54PM0.80m | 2:55AM0.26m | 3:35PM0.79m | 3:43AM0.31m | |||||||
Low Tide | 5:19PM0.27m | 3:10AM0.03m | 7:39PM0.21m | 4:08AM0.02m | 8:34PM0.16m | 5:14AM0.01m | 9:09PM0.12m | 6:20AM-0.01m | 9:40PM0.08m | 7:20AM-0.02m | 10:10PM0.06m | 8:15AM-0.02m | 10:40PM0.05m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 7:07 | — | — | 7:07 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:06 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:04 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 26 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 10 | SSW 15 | ENE 9 | ENE 8 | ENE 8 | SW 14 | ENE 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 17 | SSW 12 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | SSW 15 | ENE 7 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | ENE 7 |
253 | 88 | 88 | 45 | 42 | 102 | 21 | 73 | 105 | 113 | 101 | 99 | 159 | 86 | 294 | 181 | 176 | 163 | 165 | 269 | 111 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSE 11 | SSW 14 | SW 20 | SSW 19 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SW 18 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | S 16 | SSW 15 | SSE 9 | SSW 15 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSW 14 |
38 | 39 | 82 | 81 | 80 | 40 | 77 | 99 | 148 | 162 | 154 | 150 | 96 | 66 | 131 | 184 | 32 | 184 | 32 | 31 | 243 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSE 13 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSE 11 | S 11 | NNW 7 | SW 21 | S 11 | NE 11 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSW 18 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSE 9 | SSW 11 | S 21 | S 20 |
56 | 49 | 48 | 25 | 22 | 5 | 115 | 20 | 30 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 102 | 56 | 56 | 42 | 32 | 40 | 79 | 373 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | ENE 9 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | ENE 5 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 6 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | — |
— | 203 | 45 | 62 | 57 | 107 | 40 | 90 | 126 | 201 | 195 | 281 | 294 | 376 | — | 252 | 167 | — | 163 | 114 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 40 | 40 | 34 | 32 | 34 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 32 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Oahu | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











