
Surf Forecasts:
Tunnels surf forecast from 5 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with 2,961 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.1m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Tunnels this week:
The surf forecast for Tunnels over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.1m and 13s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Tunnels in the next 16 days are 3.0m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.8m 6s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 10) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 5AM (Mon 7th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.1m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Tunnels over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming up.
It’s a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The first couple of days are on the small side and the conditions are just okay, not really worth getting too excited about. But if you’ve got some patience, there’s a proper pulse of swell heading our way early next week that’ll wake things up proper.
The standout window is Monday, September 7th. We’re looking at a solid 7ft south-west groundswell, and the period is a nice long 14 seconds, which is proper long-period energy. That kind of swell has real push and shape, and at Tunnels (Big Island) it’ll wrap in beautifully. The wind swings offshore on Monday afternoon, light and clean, and the combined swell energy is a strong 2534 (moderate wave energy). This is the pick of the whole outlook – for experienced surfers, that’s going to be pumping. Keep in mind, with a long period like that, it’ll be a bit more lined up and the sets will have some time between them, making the paddle out a bit easier. The water is sitting at 81°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year.
Leading up to that, Saturday and Sunday (Sept 5-6) have some waist to chest-high swell, but it’s mostly cross-offshore winds and the scores are low – it’s not going to be clean or powerful enough to be worth chasing. The combined energy on Saturday is 748 (moderate) and Sunday drops to 569 (moderate).
After Monday’s peak, Tuesday (Sept 8) still has a decent 8ft swell in the morning, but that’s pushing into the too-big-for-beginners zone, and the wind is cross-off from the south. It’ll be a bit chunky and not as clean as Monday. The combined energy is still high at 1922 (moderate wave energy), but the quality drops off.
From Wednesday (Sept 9) onwards, the swell backs right off. We’re looking at waist-high or smaller, with mostly cross-off trades. The combined energy drops to 419 (moderate) and keeps falling. The period stays long, so you might find a clean little wave on a reef or point, but it’s marginal at best.
There’s a long stretch of small, poor surf from the 10th right through to the 14th of September. The combined energy dips into the low hundreds and even down to 99 (weak energy) – that’s a flat spell. Honestly, that run is pretty dry.
Things might start to trickle back up around the 15th and 16th, with some knee to waist-high swell and a bit more period, but it’s nothing special. The wind is still tradey and cross-off, so it’ll be clean but tiny.
If you’re a beginner, Monday the 7th is going to be a bit much at 7ft, but Sunday the 6th at 4ft might be okay if you’re keen. For everyone else, Monday afternoon is the session to circle.
This is Rusty, signing off.
Short Range ForecastModerate rain (total 12mm), heaviest on Sun night. Warm (max 27°C on Sat afternoon, min 26°C on Sat morning). Mainly fresh winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Thu night). Winds decreasing (fresh winds from the SSE on Tue morning, light winds from the ENE by Wed morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 5 | Sunday 6 | Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 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) | S 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 18 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 11 | W 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
748 | 669 | 583 | 346 | 297 | 432 | 1018 | 1665 | 2961 | 1454 | 424 | 356 | 331 | 257 | 195 | 181 | 154 | 268 | 261 | 229 | 226 | |
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 | 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 | 11:45AM0.71m | 10:48PM0.23m | 12:37PM0.75m | 00:20AM0.28m | 1:19PM0.77m | 1:13AM0.34m | 1:55PM0.76m | 1:58AM0.41m | 2:27PM0.74m | 2:40AM0.48m | 2:56PM0.69m | 3:21AM0.54m | 3:22PM0.63m | 4:00AM0.59m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:32PM0.22m | 8:20PM0.20m | 5:39AM0.10m | 8:31PM0.18m | 6:41AM0.09m | 8:48PM0.16m | 7:34AM0.09m | 9:06PM0.14m | 8:23AM0.11m | 9:25PM0.12m | 9:09AM0.15m | 9:44PM0.11m | |||||||||
6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:13 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | |
— | 6:40 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:38 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:36 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 26 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
Feels °C | 26 | 26 | 25 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | SSW 12 | ENE 13 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SW 11 | SSW 9 | SSW 8 | ENE 8 | NE 8 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 |
748 | 669 | 757 | 645 | 655 | 737 | 1018 | 1665 | 2961 | 1454 | 360 | 197 | 117 | 86 | 195 | 133 | 129 | 268 | 261 | 229 | 226 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 13 | ENE 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SW 11 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 | ENE 11 | NE 10 | NE 9 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 7 | SSW 16 | SW 18 | E 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 11 |
734 | 531 | 583 | 346 | 297 | 288 | 800 | 876 | 581 | 581 | 441 | 211 | 331 | 257 | 38 | 181 | 154 | 75 | 115 | 109 | 95 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 10 | SSW 17 | NNE 9 | SSW 16 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | W 10 | SSW 14 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | E 12 | E 12 | E 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | S 11 |
21 | 117 | 15 | 223 | 271 | 432 | 589 | 694 | 612 | 468 | 424 | 356 | 88 | 57 | 76 | 73 | 72 | 46 | 45 | 45 | 22 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NNE 6 | — | — | NNE 6 | ESE 6 | — | SSE 7 | S 7 | — | — | — | — | ENE 5 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | ENE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 |
— | 44 | — | — | 33 | 13 | — | 175 | 107 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 114 | 180 | 147 | 204 | 151 | 151 | 211 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 68 | 68 | 57 | 68 | 69 | 4 | 69 | 0 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 68 | 60 | 66 | 68 | 57 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Molokai | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Tunnels Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Tunnels provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Tunnels can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Tunnels 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 (Tunnels) 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 Tunnels 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.
Are you planning a vacation in Molokai? If you are looking for accommodation near Tunnels, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in Molokai, consider staying in Kaunakakai - Molokai which is 20 km (12 miles) away. Other places in and around Molokai where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Lanai - Lanai which is 53 km (33 miles) away, Kailua, Honolulu and Kane'ohe.










