Waimanalo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Alright, let’s get straight into it. The next couple of weeks look pretty grim for a proper paddle session at Waimanalo. We’ve got a long stretch of onshore wind and messy conditions that’ll keep the surf pretty ordinary for the most part. There is a brief glimmer of hope right at the end of the first week, but you’ll need to wait for it.

The water’s sitting at 80°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Sunday, August 9, and things are ugly right out of the gate. A fresh 19 mph ENE wind is blowing straight onshore, and we’ve got a weak 5 ft swell from the ENE with a short 8-second period. The combined energy is weak at 296, and the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. This continues through the whole first week. Monday through Sunday, August 10 to 16, it’s more of the same – onshore winds from the ENE and NE, mostly fresh breezes, and the swell stays in the 4 ft to 6 ft range, with periods as low as 6 seconds. The energy builds a bit by Friday the 14th (392 on Friday morning, 453 in the afternoon), but the wind and chop ruin it. Saturday the 15th sees a jump in size to 10 ft, and the period stretches to 12-13 seconds, pushing the combined energy into the strong range (2166 and 3408). But that ENE onshore wind is still howling at 22 mph, so it’s a complete mess. Sunday the 16th is the biggest, with 15 ft to 18 ft swell and a very long 13-second period, energy hitting 6425 and 9015 – massive power, but the wind is cross-onshore from the N and NNW. For a beach break like Waimanalo, this setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It’s only for experts anyway, given the size.

Now, the standout. It’s the only window worth mentioning. Monday, August 17, brings a change. A light offshore wind from the SW at just 3 mph in the morning, and the swell drops to a much more manageable 7 ft from the ENE with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a moderate 616, and the wave comment says expect very good surf conditions. That’s a clean, glassy morning with proper shape. The swell direction is ENE, which is about as good as it gets for Waimanalo’s optimum. Keep in mind, with crowds marked as “sometimes,” you might have a few others with the same idea. The afternoon sees a shift to a cross-offshore SSW breeze at 12 mph, and the surf drops to 6 ft – still clean, but more marginal on the tide. After that, it’s back to onshore junk from Tuesday the 18th through to the end of the forecast, with the only brief exception being a gentle cross-shore on Tuesday morning that’s still marginal.

So, the long and short of it: the first week is a write-off. The best and only real chance to get wet is the morning of Monday, August 17. Get on it if you can. Promising, but you’ll have to wait.

Rusty

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