Windy Surf Update, Maui Fairing Better than Oahu

By Carlos Rock

Windy isn’t always a bad thing. Photo: Carlos Rock.

Wind swell prevails, as the trades remain strong as ever. The east shores are seeing decent swell in the head-high to overhead range to keep the dedicated surfers out in the water.

The strong trade winds create wind swell as well as cool breezy conditions. There is a fairly large swell expected for the east side expected to reach heights of 5-9+ foot faces.

However, the conditions out in the water are choppy and strong onshore with crazy rip currents pulling you out to sea, at select spots. But at other spots the strong trades are blowing side shore keeping the water nice and blown out — great.

Good for the windsurfers and kiters, and some surfers that are able to handle the chop, but overall bad for surfing.

However, the north shore of Maui is actually doing a lot better than Oahu that is seeing no love from the east swell on its north shore.

The way the islands are shaped determines whether the east swell hits the north shore or not, and the way the wind affects the different shores.

Ala Moana Bowls. Photo: Sean Davey.

Basically, Maui=always windy, which means there is plenty of east swell.

Oahu is a different story and the knowledge of surfing the spots over there during the right conditions comes from spending time there. Surfing on another island is always a nice treat, especially if you are able to score.

For example, during the summer months, south swells are very gracious to Oahu’s south shore and when Maui is flat due to blockage from other islands, Ala Moana is benefiting from south swell with offshore winds all day, for weeks at a time.

And, a change in scenery is always good for the soul, but the crowds can get too overwhelming at times as you remember the lack of crowds at most spots on Maui.

That will always bring you back to the Windy Isle.

Secret Spot, Maui. Photo: Carlos Rock.

The wind is here to stay for the remainder of the week in the 15-25+ mph range so if your out of the water for a while and waiting out the windy conditions, maybe some whale sightings will keep you entertained. Yes, the whales are here.

But keep in mind, the wind brings waves, so there are spots that are still surfable with the strong wind, it just might take a little extra driving time, but beware of the man-o-wars!

See you out in the water.