38 Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the next couple of weeks here at Thirty-eight-line (Big Island). To be honest, it’s a pretty grim stretch for a while. The swell is tiny, the energy is weak, and we’re looking at a lot of days with nothing rideable. We’re talking about a solid gap of pretty much flat, or near-flat, conditions through this coming week. You won’t find a wave worth paddling for until Friday the 18th, and even then, it’s just barely surfable.

The good news is the water temp is sitting right where it should be for this time of year, so you won’t need to worry about a wetsuit unless you just want to. It’s pretty average.

So, this Friday the 11th through Thursday the 17th? You’re better off using the time to fix your dings, re-wax, or go for a run. The swell is minimal, there’s no push, and while some mornings have that glassy look, there’s just nothing to ride. The energy readings are weak, mostly single digits, and the swell direction isn't doing us any favors.

Finally, on the morning of Friday the 18th, there’s a tiny blip. We see a little knee-high bump, 3ft from the ESE with a short 6-second period. It’s glassy, but it’s marginal. It’s the first thing that resembles a wave, but it’s not worth getting excited about.

Saturday the 19th is a bit more interesting. The swell picks up to 4ft in the morning from the E, and the energy climbs to 142, which is a moderate amount. The wind is calm and it’s glassy, so it will be clean. But the period is still short, and by the afternoon the wind turns onshore and chops it up.

Sunday the 20th mirrors that, with a clean 4ft morning from the NE. But it’s short period, so it’ll be a bit crumbly.

Then we hit another lull for Monday the 21st. There’s some energy, but the wind is onshore and messy, and the surf is poor quality. Not a good look.

But hold on. Here’s the standout. Tuesday the 22nd is the day to circle. The swell jumps to 7ft from the NNE in the morning. The energy is strong, it’s a big jump to 539, and with a cross-off wind, it’s going to be clean. The period is only 8 seconds, which isn’t long, but it’s got some juice. This is a proper pulse of swell. For an intermediate surfer, this is on.

Wednesday the 23rd is still good, with 5ft from the ENE and a 9-second period. The morning wind is cross-off and clean, so the quality is still there. It’s not as big as Tuesday but it will be consistent.

After that, it fades fast. Thursday the 24th drops back down to 2ft. Friday the 25th and the whole weekend just look flat and poor again. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

So, in a nutshell: Wait out the first week, it’s a total blank. Then get on it Tuesday the 22nd, and to a lesser extent Wednesday the 23rd. Those are your windows. It’s a long-range call, so treat it as promising but don’t book the day off work just yet.

Rusty.

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