Tubes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer at Tubes. This is a sheltered reef and point break on the Big Island, and it needs a solid SSW swell to get going. The water temperature's sitting at about 61°F with a temperature anomaly of -5°F, so it's much colder than what you'd expect for early September – feels more like a winter holdover, so bring the extra rubber if you’re paddling out.

Right now, there's a big gap of nothing worth jumping in for. The first half of the outlook is poor. Wednesday the 2nd has a big 10 ft SW groundswell but wind is cross, with combined energy of 2733, so there's plenty of juice, but the conditions are messy with a cross-chop. That trend carries through Thursday and Friday with strong cross-shore winds and lumpy seas. Saturday and Sunday the 5th and 6th get battered by fresh to strong onshore winds, making it choppy and unappealing. Not much point unless you’re kiting – the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing at this stage.

Finally, things turn around early in the second week. The standout window is Monday the 7th. The morning glass-off is key: the wind goes light offshore from the NNE at just 5 km/h (3 mph), with a clean, clean 6 ft SSW groundswell (14 second period). That’s your best chance. The combined energy (1560) is solid, and with offshore glass, Tubes should be offering up some lined-up, clean walls. It’s consistent here and break quality should be good; but note crowds are sometimes an issue.

Tuesday the 8th still holds clean conditions through the day – 5 ft SSW in the morning with light cross-offshore breeze. Not quite the standout of Monday but still a good session if you missed it. After that, Wednesday the 9th has offshore but smaller waves around 2 ft to 3 ft; fun for a log but not a standout.

Later in the forecast, there’s another spike around Wednesday the 16th: a 7 ft SW swell with very long 14-second period combined with a clean offshore wind. That’s a promising look – but it’s far out, so keep an eye on it. Potential for some excellent waves if the forecast holds.

Beyond that, the end of the outlook has some size but the wind turns messy again, so not the time to book it.

So to sum up: the first week is a write-off, but Monday the 7th is your best bet for clean, solid surf at Tubes. Tuesday the 8th and Wednesday the 16th are worth a look too, but the early part of the second week is where the magic could happen.

Rusty.

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