Rock Point/Pohakuloa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at ya from Rock Point/Pohakuloa. I gotta be straight with you right off the bat—this stretch is lookin' grim for paddle surfing. We've got a reef and point setup that's exposed to the NE, and the guidance says it's inconsistent, but the real killer is the wind. For days on end, we're stuck under a relentless cross-shore breeze, mostly cranking at 15 to 22 mph, which is just chewing up the face and leaving us with lumpy, bumpy, cross-chop. There's no glassy morning or offshore window in sight for a long, long time.

This whole first week is a write-off. From Thursday the 27th of August right through to Thursday the 3rd of September, every session is tagged "poor surf conditions." The swell is there, between 5 ft and 7 ft from the E/ENE, but that wind is just trashing it. The wave energy is building though—we start at a moderate 193 and climb steadily, hitting 829 by Thursday afternoon the 3rd. But it's useless with this wind.

Now, come Friday the 4th of September, things start to look a bit more interesting on paper. The swell picks up proper, with 7 ft to 7 ft from the E, and the period stretches out to 11 and then 12 seconds—that's groundswell energy, which is always a good sign for a point. The combined energy jumps into the strong zone, hitting 1200 and then a whopping 1980. This is serious power. But the wind is still a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, so it's only rated as "marginal." This is the most promising window we've got in the whole outlook, but the wind needs to cooperate, and right now it's not.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September keep that energy high—still around 7 ft to 8 ft from the E, with solid 11-second periods. Saturday is still a messy cross-shore, but on Sunday afternoon the 6th, we finally get a break. The wind swings to NE at a more manageable 16 mph and goes cross-offshore. For the first time in this whole forecast, we get a clean rating! That afternoon session on Sunday the 6th is the one standout. The swell is 8 ft from the ENE—that's big, expert-level stuff—but with clean conditions, a reef and point setup could turn that power into some memorable waves. The combined energy is a massive 2098. This is as good as it gets, but it's over two weeks away, so keep an eye on it.

After that, it's back to the same old story: cross-shore winds, lumpy conditions, and a gradual drop-off in energy into the second week.

Honestly, for the vast majority of this 16-day window, this setup looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The consistent cross-shore wind and building swell is a dream for them, but for us, it's a long stretch of frustration. Keep your eyes peeled for that Sunday afternoon window, but don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

Read more