To investigate the propagation characteristics of direct-arrival surface acoustic waves at near-surface hole defects in metals and achieve rapid defect localization, numerical simulation experiments are carried out in this study using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The near-surface propagation of surface acoustic waves excited by pulse laser on an aluminum plate surface under the thermoelastic effect is simulated. The reflection and transmission phenomena of surface acoustic waves at defects with different radii and depths are studied, and the signals are analyzed in time and frequency domains. The numerical results show that the interaction of the surface acoustic waves excited by pulse laser with hole defects leads to significant reflection and transmission phenomena. The localization of hole defects can be found accurately, with a relative error of less than 3%. In a certain range, with a variation in radius and depth of the hole defect, the reflected and transmitted waves show a regular change. This research provides a reference for the study of the propagation characteristics of surface acoustic waves at near-surface hole defects, which has potential application in quality monitoring and defect localization in metallic materials.