Oahu South Shore
Ala Moana Bowls surf report
3.3ft
Fun-sized — 3.3 ft.
Wednesday, August 12 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
3.3 ft
17 s · SSE166°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
82°F
27.8 °C
Daylight
6:09 AM
sunrise · sunset 7:02 PM
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 4:30 AM (1.206 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:42 AM | high | 1.048 ft |
| 9:08 AM | low | -0.054 ft |
| 4:12 PM | high | 2.48 ft |
| 11:05 PM | low | 0.124 ft |
Tide values are predictions. Wind, pressure and surge move the real water level, sometimes by a lot — see the disclaimer.
Forecast
Model output, not a measurement — NOAA WaveWatch III
| Day | Height | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 2.4 ft | 13.2 s | N 11° |
| Thu | 2.5 ft | 15.5 s | N 5° |
| Fri | 2.9 ft | 14.3 s | N 1° |
| Sat | 2.5 ft | 13.4 s | N 359° |
| Sun | 2.6 ft | 11 s | NW 320° |
| Mon | 3.3 ft | 7.1 s | WSW 253° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 82 °F (27.8 °C), most people at Ala Moana Bowls are comfortable in a boardshorts or a swimsuit.
No suit needed
for 75 °F and warmer
Warm enough to surf with nothing on. A long session in the sun still costs you more heat than it feels like.
The temperature is measured. The suit recommendation is not — it follows the manufacturers' convention, which varies by a degree or two between brands, and it knows nothing about wind, session length or how you personally run. The full chart and what it leaves out.
Surf cam
No cam here yet. We operate no cameras of our own and embed only where the operator allows it — the rule is on the copyright page. Cam operators who would like a link are welcome to write.
The break
- Type
- Reef break along a dredged channel
- Best swell
- S to SSW groundswell
- Best wind
- Offshore NE trades
- Tide
- Mid to high tide
- Level
- Advanced to expert
Hazards
- Very shallow reef on the inside
- Channel current
- Heavy localism
Local knowledge, not a measurement. Conditions decide the day — check the National Weather Service for warnings and the lifeguards for whether to go in.
Every source behind this page
- Solunar computed · read 11:15 PM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 51211 model cycle 20260813 0z · model · read 11:15 PM
- NDBC 51211 buoy wave height · read 10:30 PM
- NOAA CO-OPS 1612340 tide predictions · read 11:15 PM
All of it is public NOAA and National Weather Service data, free for anyone to use. What we add is the pairing of this spot with these stations — see the terms.
Nearby spots
- Waikiki 3.3 ft · 3 km
- White Plains Beach 4.3 ft · 19 km
- Makapu'u 5.2 ft · 20 km
- El Porto 2.6 ft · 4101 km
- Carlsbad 2.6 ft · 4187 km
Surf and beach conditions change faster than this page does, and nobody watches it in real time. When the water looks different from the numbers, trust the water and the lifeguards.