Baldwin Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer here. We’ve got Baldwin Beach Park (Maui) to work with. It’s a reef and point setup, super consistent and exposed to the swell, so it’s usually in the game. The water’s sitting at 80°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off for clean, quality waves. From Monday the 20th to Saturday the 25th, it’s a grim run of poor surf conditions. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, churning things up. The swell is there, but it’s short-period stuff, mostly 7 to 8 seconds, and the combined energy is all over the place, from a weak 177 up to a moderate 466. But it’s just not coming together. The best you can say is Wednesday the 22nd afternoon sees a spike in energy to 562, but it’s still cross-shore and messy. It’s a long stretch of nothing to get excited about.

Now, look at the end of the first week and into the second. Sunday the 26th of July marks a shift. The swell period jumps to 16 seconds—that’s proper groundswell—and the energy rockets up to 1615. That’s strong wave energy. Here’s the rub: the wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a bit of a bumpy ride. The size is a solid 5 ft, and with that long period, it’s got some punch. Still, the conditions aren’t pristine.

The standout window, and I mean the one to circle on the calendar, is the morning of Tuesday the 29th of July. The wind swings around to a light offshore from the NNE at just 6 mph, and the swell is 6 ft from the NE with an 11-second period. The energy is strong at 787. That offshore wind on a reef and point break like Baldwin is a beautiful thing. It’ll be clean, lined up, and with that size, it’s a proper session. The only downside is the crowds are listed as “often,” so expect company. This is the best on offer, bar none. The Wednesday the 30th morning also has a light offshore, but the swell is a touch smaller at 5 ft and the period drops to 10 seconds, so it’s not quite as good.

After that, we fade into the first week of August. The swell stays chunky, pushing 6 ft to 7 ft, but the wind is back to cross or cross-onshore, and the period drops to 8-9 seconds. The energy is moderate to strong, but the quality just isn’t there for a clean paddle session. It’s a shame, because there’s plenty of water moving. For a kite surfer, those windy, choppy days with decent swell would be a blast, but for a surfer on a board, you’re fighting the chop.

In short, hold out for the morning of the 29th of July. That’s the one. The rest of the two weeks is a mixed bag of onshore wind and messy conditions, with a few marginal windows that could go either way. The forecasts are more reliable for the near-term, but that long-range call for the 29th is looking promising.

Rusty.

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