Waikiki Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, so the long story short is that we’ve got a bit of a grind ahead. The first week is looking pretty underwhelming, with surf mainly in the knee-high range and a lot of wind. We do have a promising run of cleaner, better-conditioned swell building in the second half of the month, but nothing is truly firing off the charts. The standout window looks to be around the 23rd and 24th of July, when the swell picks up and the quality is at its best.

We start off on Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th with a strong offshore breeze, 25 mph dropping to 19 mph, that’s making things clean but very hard to paddle into. The swell is tiny, around 3 ft, and the energy is weak. You’re looking at a combined energy of only 426. It’s a real battle just to get a wave. Tuesday the 14th morning is the best of that early week, with a moderate offshore breeze and a 2 ft SSW groundswell. The period is 15 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell, but it’s small. The combined energy is moderate at 527. That’s the pick of the first few days, but it’s still a marginal call.

Then we hit a real lull. From Wednesday the 15th all the way through Saturday the 19th, we’re looking at a gap of several days with very little worthwhile. The swell drops to 2 ft or 2 ft, and the wind is a fresh offshore breeze. It’s clean, but there’s just no push. The combined energy drops to 133 at its lowest on Saturday the 18th. You’d be better off finding a pool.

Things start to look up on Monday the 20th. The swell bumps up to 3 ft from the south, with a 16-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 657. The wind is still a fresh offshore, so it’s clean. That’s promising, but the forecast score is still only marginal. Tuesday the 21st is similar, with a moderate breeze, but the swell is a bit smaller.

Now, here’s the real deal. The best window is from Wednesday the 22nd of July through to Sunday the 27th. The swell direction shifts to SSW, and the period gets very long. On Wednesday the 22nd, the period is 24 seconds, which is very long-period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate at 584. The wind is a fresh offshore, so it’s clean. On Thursday the 23rd, the swell is 3 ft with a 21-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 720 in the morning and 814 in the afternoon. That’s the standout. Friday the 24th is also good, with a 3 ft swell and a 17-18 second period, but the combined energy is still high at 798. The wind is a fresh offshore, so it’s clean. Saturday the 25th has a 3 ft south swell with a 20-second period, and the combined energy is 851. Sunday the 26th sees a 3 ft south swell with a 17-second period, and the combined energy is 640.

So, the highlight is the 23rd and 24th of July. The combination of the 3 ft SSW groundswell with a very long period, and a clean offshore breeze, makes for the best bet. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so no worries there. The break is Waikiki, a beach and reef setup that’s very consistent. It’s exposed to the south, which is right where the swell is coming from, and the optimum direction is from the south, so the alignment is ideal. The crowds are ‘often’ there, so expect company. For the more experienced, the long period groundswell means the waves will have a lot of energy and shape, but at a beach break like this, it might be a bit straight. The best shape will be on the reef sections.

Overall, if you can wait until the 23rd, that’s your best shot. The earlier part of the month is a write-off unless you’re desperate for a clean paddle.

Rusty.

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