Tunnels Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down.

For the next little while, Tunnels is looking pretty flat and messy. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much to get excited about from Wednesday the 26th of August all the way through to the end of the month. The swell is tiny, the wind is a fresh cross-off from the ENE at 19 mph, and the wave energy is weak. The water’s sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t show up until Tuesday the 1st of September. Even then, it’s marginal – a 3 ft south-southwest swell with a very long 18-second period, moderate wave energy (469), and a moderate breeze. It’s clean, but nothing to write home about. The rest of that first week of September stays pretty ordinary, with small swells and fresh winds keeping the quality down.

But hold onto your board, because things start to look up from Saturday the 5th of September. Early Saturday morning, we get a 2 ft south swell, 13-second period, light offshore wind from the east at 3 mph, and clean conditions. The energy is still low (203), but the setup is right. Then Sunday the 6th of September is where it starts to get interesting: morning brings a 3 ft south-southwest swell with a 17-second period, light offshore wind from the southeast, and clean conditions. By Sunday afternoon, the wind goes glassy, the swell holds at 3 ft, and the energy picks up to 404. That’s the kind of afternoon you want to be in the water.

The standout of the whole run, though, is Monday the 7th of September. Both the morning and afternoon sessions are looking damn good. Morning has a 3 ft south-southwest swell, 15-second period, glassy conditions with a light northeast breeze, and strong wave energy (507). Afternoon bumps up to 4 ft, same direction, 15-second period, clean with a light cross-off breeze, and energy at 580. This is the best on offer – clean, glassy, and a solid south-southwest groundswell. Tunnels (Kauai) is going to be firing. That long-period swell is best for a reef setup like this, so expect well-shaped, punchy waves with nice gaps between sets.

After that, it fades again. Tuesday the 8th of September drops back to marginal, and from Wednesday the 9th it’s back to poor surf with fresh ENE winds.

So, the one to circle is Monday the 7th of September. Get on it if you can.

Rusty.

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