Waikiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, grab a coffee and listen up. Rusty here.

First up, the overall pattern. We’ve got a mixed bag of mostly marginal conditions at Waikiki (beach and reef). The water is sitting at a normal 81°F for this time of year, nothing weird going on there.

The next few days are a write-off, honestly. The first couple of days are a real struggle with a strong offshore breeze that makes it hard to even paddle in, despite the clean-looking surface. You’ll see some small S swell around 2ft to 3ft with a moderate combined energy (around 442 to 574), but the wind is just too strong to make it fun. We’re looking at a solid gap of poor to marginal conditions right through until Friday the 5th.

Things start to look a little more promising on Saturday the 6th. The wind finally backs off a bit to a fresh offshore breeze, and the swell bumps up to 5ft from the SSW with a moderate energy (689). It’s still a bit marginal, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far. By Monday the 7th, we get a real treat in the morning. The wind swings light and cross-offshore, and that SSW swell pushes in with a very long 17-second period and a decent energy of 720. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions” and I agree. That’s a standout window—very clean, long-period groundswell. It’ll be a bit lined up at the beach breaks, but a reef or point setup would be the go. Crowds are “often” here, so expect company.

Then Tuesday the 8th gets interesting, but not for everyone. The swell jumps to a solid 6ft from the SW in the morning, with a high energy of 2235. That’s moderate-strong energy. By the afternoon it’s up to 8ft (energy of 3023), but the file flags it as too big for this break. That’s expert territory for sure. The wind is cross-off, so it’s clean, but at that size, the beach-and-reef setup might be better for kites than paddle boards.

We then drop back into small, clean but weak conditions from the 9th to the 12th. The swell drops to 2ft to 4ft, mostly from the SSW, with the wind staying offshore. The energy is low (between 188 and 644), and the wave comments are mostly “marginal” or “poor.” Not much to get excited about.

The back half of the window has a few glimmers. On the 14th of September, we see a very long-period 24-second SSW swell start to show, but it’s only 1ft. The energy is low (273 to 315), and the wind is light and a bit cross-onshore. Not worth the paddle.

However, Tuesday the 15th afternoon and Wednesday the 16th look like the real standouts of the entire window. The wind goes light offshore (ENE or NE, 3 to 6 mph), and the swell from the SSW holds at 3ft to 3ft with a very long period of 18 to 20 seconds. The energy is moderate (541 to 763), and the wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s the one to circle. Clean, glassy conditions with a super-long period groundswell. It’ll be great at the reef sections. This is the best on offer.

So, if you’re keen, target the morning of Monday the 7th for a fun, long-period swell, and the afternoon of the 15th through the 16th of September for the cleanest, glassiest conditions of the whole 16-day run.

Signing off, Rusty.

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