Good afternoon, this is your surf zone forecast for Hawaii, issued at 3:02 PM on Wednesday, April 8th, 2026.
We're watching a south-southwest swell that's been peaking and will gradually decline tonight through the rest of the week. A High Surf Advisory remains in effect for all south facing shores throughout the Hawaiian Islands through 6 AM Thursday morning.
On the north facing shores, a moderate long-period northwest swell has also peaked, but don't worry—a smaller short-period northwest swell is expected to arrive over the weekend into early next week, so there's more action coming.
Here's where things get interesting. As the long-period south swell continues to drop on Thursday, strong to gale force southerly winds are expected to develop and really strengthen through Thursday night into Friday. This wind increase will bring a rapid buildup of short-period energy, and we'll see surf heights climb right back above advisory thresholds for south facing shores. Get ready for some large, disorganized surf along many south facing shores Thursday into Friday.
East facing shores will also see an increase later this week thanks to those strengthening southeasterly winds, particularly at southeast exposures.
Let's break down what to expect by region. For Kauai, tonight brings 8 to 12 foot surf on the north facing shores, dropping to 7 to 10 feet by morning. South facing shores will hold steady at 7 to 10 feet both tonight and through the morning. Expect cloudy skies with showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms, with lows in the upper 60s and southeast winds becoming east after midnight.
Thursday on Kauai shows north facing shores at 7 to 10 feet in the morning, dropping to 6 to 8 feet by afternoon. South facing shores maintain 7 to 10 feet throughout the day. Conditions remain cloudy with showers, highs in the upper 70s, and southeast winds around 15 miles per hour. Low tide at Nawiliwili hits at 1:08 PM with just 0.2 feet.
Moving to Oahu, tonight's forecast shows similar patterns with 8 to 12 foot surf on north facing shores, dropping to 7 to 10 feet by morning. South facing shores sit at 7 to 10 feet both tonight and through the morning. Expect cloudy skies, lows around 70, and southeast winds becoming northeast after midnight.
Thursday on Oahu brings 7 to 10 foot morning swells on north facing shores, declining to 6 to 8 feet by afternoon. South facing shores hold their 7 to 10 foot range throughout the day. It'll be cloudy with showers, highs in the upper 70s, and southeast winds around 15 miles per hour.
For Maui, tonight features 7 to 10 foot surf on north facing shores and south facing shores, with showers likely and lows in the lower 70s. Thursday shows north facing shores dropping from 6 to 8 feet morning to 5 to 7 feet afternoon, while south facing shores remain solid at 7 to 10 feet. Expect cloudy skies with showers, highs in the lower 80s, and light east winds around 10 miles per hour.
On the Big Island windward and southeas
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