Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surf is finally looking like it wants to show up around these parts. It's been a bit of a flat, blown-out mess, but there's a window of proper swell coming. We got a solid stretch of WSW groundswell pushing through, but the wind is going to be the story. It’s gonna be a game of picking the windows.

The first real standout is Tuesday, August 18th. That morning is the one to circle. We’ve got a solid 10ft of WSW groundswell hitting the reef at Turtles (Big Island), and the energy is strong, reading 5488. That's a lot of water moving. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the ESE at 9 mph, and the forecast is calling it clean. For a reef break like this, that combo is about as good as it gets. The swell direction is pretty much spot on for what Turtles wants. Now, this is a heavy wave. At 10ft on a reef, that's expert territory, full stop. It's not a day to be learning. It’s a proper, powerful, thick groundswell with a 17-second period, so there's plenty of energy and long lulls between sets, which can help with the paddle out. The water is currently 72°, which is about normal for this time of year.

Following that, the action doesn't stop. Wednesday morning, August 19th is still solid with 8ft of the same WSW swell, and another clean morning with a cross-off breeze from the SE. The energy is still strong at 3601, and the period is a fat 16 seconds. This is a fantastic option if Tuesday feels too heavy. It’s still big and powerful, but a touch more manageable. The quality looks high.

The other call is Saturday morning, August 22nd. The swell has eased a bit to 7ft but it's still a quality SW groundswell. The wind is the highlight here - a slight cross-offshore breeze from the SSE at just 3 mph. That is as glassy as it gets. The surf report is calling it excellent for experienced surfers, and I’d have to agree. It’ll be a lot cleaner and likely more user-friendly than the earlier days, even though the size is down. This might be the one for the more experienced punter who missed the earlier window. Consistency looks good, but the crowd factor is something to keep in mind, as it can get busy out there.

The rest of the period is pretty much a mixed bag of onshore winds and choppy conditions. The swell sticks around, but the wind just keeps bloody ruining it. The afternoons mostly turn to junk with fresh cross-onshore breezes. There are a couple of mornings, like Thursday, August 27th, that show early promise with a clean cross-off breeze and 6ft swell, but the onshores kick in hard in the afternoon. It's a similar story on the 29th and 30th - flashes of clean swell before the wind turns it to crap. The period from the 25th to the end of the month looks like you'll be fighting the chop more than surfing it. The second week looks more of the same, with these short, lumpy windows.

For the most part, expect moderate crowds if you get the good ones. If it's not clean, Turtles gets pretty messy anyway, and with that much cross-shore wind, you might be better off checking if the kites are out than paddling out for a beating.

Rusty

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