Surf Forecasts:
Disappearing Sands surf forecast from 15 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 16 Jul, 8PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 22 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 2ft (0.6m), 24s period, SSW swell with 444 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 16 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 15s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Disappearing Sands this week:
The surf forecast for Disappearing Sands over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 16) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 15s period with a secondary swell of 0.6m and 13s. Another secondary swell of 0.6m and 4s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Disappearing Sands in the next 16 days are 0.6m 24s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Jul 22) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 15s period and expected on Monday (Jul 20) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 16th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Best Surf | 8PM (Thu 16th Jul) | 3ft (0.9m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 2ft (0.6m) 24s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Disappearing Sands over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.
Honestly, it's a pretty flat and quiet spell ahead. We've got a stretch of days with barely a ripple. The first few days are a write-off for any proper surfing, with tiny swell and poor conditions. It's not until around Thursday the 23rd that things start to look like they might turn around.
The only real standout in this forecast is Disappearing Sands. It's an exposed, beginner-friendly spot, though it's inconsistent and only breaks sometimes. The water is sitting at 81°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing too crazy, just a touch balmy.
For the first week, from Wednesday the 15th right through to Tuesday the 21st, the swell is tiny, mostly 1.0ft to 2ft, and the wind is all over the shop. It's largely cross-onshore or onshore, creating choppy, messy conditions. The wave energy is weak, with readings like 652 (moderate) on the 15th dropping to as low as 12 (weak) by the 21st. There's no point getting wet unless you're after a flat-water paddle.
The promising window opens up on Thursday the 23rd. That afternoon at Disappearing Sands, we’ll see a 3ft swell from the SSW with a juicy 20-second period – that's a long-period groundswell with proper energy. The wind goes glassy, and the forecast says "expect very good surf conditions" with a combined energy of 551 (moderate). For a spot that's been flat for over a week, this is the moment. The swell direction (SSW) matches the optimum direction (WNW) reasonably well, and with glassy conditions, it'll be as clean as it gets. This is the best on offer, but it's a long-range call, so keep an eye on the synoptics.
After that, the swell holds around 3ft to 3ft from the SSW through the weekend and into the next week, but the wind turns back to cross-onshore, so the quality drops off. The energy picks up a bit, hitting 710 (moderate) on Sunday the 26th, but it's not as clean as that Thursday afternoon window.
Overall, if you're after a surf, pencil in Thursday the 23rd afternoon. Before that, it's a bust. After that, it's sessionable but nothing special.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Thu morning, min 25°C on Wed morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 27°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 15 | Thursday 16 | Friday 17 | Saturday 18 | Sunday 19 | Monday 20 | Tuesday 21 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | SSW 16 | W 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | W 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | NNE 6 | SSW 26 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 411 | 400 | 380 | 365 | 355 | 280 | 276 | 259 | 215 | 160 | 158 | 87 | 96 | 45 | 40 | 27 | 26 | 69 | 29 | 12 | 222 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | on | glassy | cross-on | on | glassy | on | on | on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | on | cross | cross | on | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 5:02PM0.91m | 5:16AM0.40m | 5:40PM0.85m | 6:10AM0.44m | 6:15PM0.76m | 7:07AM0.48m | 6:47PM0.67m | 8:10AM0.52m | 7:17PM0.57m | 9:18AM0.55m | 7:44PM0.48m | 10:31AM0.59m | 8:10PM0.40m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:50AM0.01m | 00:04AM0.09m | 10:39AM0.07m | 00:38AM0.09m | 11:29AM0.14m | 1:10AM0.09m | 12:23PM0.22m | 1:41AM0.10m | 1:28PM0.31m | 2:13AM0.11m | 2:57PM0.37m | 2:47AM0.13m | 5:17PM0.38m | 3:28AM0.14m | |||||||
 | |  |  | | | | | | | |  | | | | | | | | | | |
 | 5:52 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — | 5:54 | — | — |
 | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:05 | — | — | 7:04 | — | — | 7:04 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 27 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 16 | WNW 16 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 15 | WNW 14 | WNW 14 | W 14 | W 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | S 12 | SSW 13 | S 18 | S 16 | S 16 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 11 |
| kJ | 411 | 400 | 380 | 365 | 355 | 280 | 276 | 198 | 189 | 160 | 158 | 76 | 96 | 230 | 267 | 502 | 435 | 506 | 394 | 302 | 144 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | SSW 14 | SW 16 | SW 12 | SSW 14 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | W 13 | W 13 | W 13 | N 7 | N 6 | N 6 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | S 12 | S 13 |
| kJ | 111 | 133 | 203 | 73 | 131 | 54 | 86 | 259 | 215 | 126 | 125 | 87 | 24 | 20 | 18 | 11 | 18 | 20 | 15 | 139 | 173 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSE 8 | N 7 | SW 17 | NNE 7 | SSW 17 | NNE 7 | N 7 | N 7 | NNE 7 | N 7 | N 7 | S 19 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | SW 16 | SSW 12 | NNE 6 | SSW 26 |
| kJ | 120 | 24 | 26 | 137 | 29 | 96 | 15 | 24 | 23 | 15 | 23 | 24 | 173 | 45 | 40 | 27 | 26 | 69 | 29 | 12 | 222 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | N 7 | — | SE 5 | — | — | N 7 | — | — | — | W 7 | SW 7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | W 8 | — | — | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 10 | — | 24 | — | — | 36 | — | — | — | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 15 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 53 | 2 | 4 | 50 | 30 | 0 | 47 | 30 | 0 | 50 | 41 | 10 | 123 | 15 | 90 | 77 | 2 | 0 | 121 | 15 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website
The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Disappearing Sands surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.
Information about the Disappearing Sands Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Disappearing Sands provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Disappearing Sands can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Disappearing Sands surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Disappearing Sands) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Disappearing Sands may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Disappearing Sands is 94 km (58 miles) from Hilo. If you plan a vacation in Big Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hilo. Hilo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest