Tubes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and look at what Tubes (Big Island) has on offer over the next couple of weeks. It’s a reef and point set-up, sheltered from the open ocean, and it’s looking for that south-southwest swell. We’ve got a slow start, but there’s a serious pulse coming through that’ll get the heart rate up, especially for those who know what they’re doing.

The first few days are pretty quiet. Thursday the 27th sees some small, short-period swell around 7.2ft, but the conditions are marginal – light onshore and cross winds, with a dodgy tide. Not worth paddling out for. Friday the 28th drops off in size to just over 3.5ft, but the wind goes offshore in the morning. It’s clean, but small. You might get a few fun ones if you’re desperate, but it’s not the day to call in sick for.

Saturday the 29th is a bit of a tease. The swell builds slightly to 5ft by the afternoon, and the wind is fresh offshore, but the tide is questionable and the period is a bit short. It’s clean, but the energy isn't quite there. Sunday the 30th is where it starts to wake up. We see 7.5ft in the morning with a cross-offshore breeze, and then the afternoon turns on with a 6.9ft SW swell, offshore wind, and a better period of 9 seconds. That’s the first real window.

Monday the 31st is solid. The morning brings 6.9ft of SW groundswell with a 12-second period and gentle offshore wind. Clean, consistent, and proper. The afternoon eases a bit to 5.2ft, but it’s still good. Tuesday the 1st of September is another strong one – 7.9ft in the morning with offshore wind and a long 11-second period. The afternoon pushes to 8.2ft, but the wind swings cross-offshore and it gets a bit more challenging. Still, the first half of the day is a standout.

Now, here’s where it gets serious. Wednesday the 2nd of September is the one. The morning sees a jump to a solid 14.8ft of SW groundswell with a very long 15-second period and light offshore winds. This is a big, powerful groundswell – the energy reading is a massive 9054. This is expert territory only. The water temperature is 59.5°, which is 6.3° colder than normal for this time of year, so that’s a big anomaly – you’ll need a thick suit and a hood. This is the standout of the entire forecast. The afternoon holds at 13.1ft with a cross-offshore breeze, still excellent for those who can handle it. This is big, raw, and pushing hard.

After that, the wheels come off. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th bring heavy rain and strong southerly winds, with the swell bouncing around 8.2ft to 14.8ft, but it’s messy and wind-affected. Not worth it. Saturday the 5th is a write-off – strong cross-onshore winds and 13.1ft of lumpy, choppy slop. Forget it.

Sunday the 6th of September has a bizarre one-off. The morning is glassy with a huge 16.4ft ESE swell, but the wind is completely offshore and the period is 11 seconds. The energy is off the charts at 10990, and it’s glassy. But this is a beast – only for the boldest experts, and even then, it might be too much. The afternoon goes back to onshore and choppy, so that window is small.

After that, it drops right off. The second week is a letdown. The 7th and 8th are small and onshore, with poor conditions. Wednesday the 9th sees a tiny 3ft SW groundswell with offshore winds in the morning – clean but ankle-biters. Thursday the 10th has some short-period junk and Friday the 11th brings a modest 5.9ft SW swell with light offshore winds. It’s rideable, but nothing to get excited about compared to that Wednesday.

So, bottom line: don’t sleep on the 31st of August and the morning of the 1st of September – those are the best of the early run. But if you’re chasing the real deal, Wednesday the 2nd is the day. That’s a proper groundswell, clean and powerful, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The 6th has a freak glassy dawn patrol too, but it’s huge. Everything else is either small, windy, or a combination of both.

Stay safe out there.

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