Kahului Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on offer for the next two weeks.

First up, the only spot with any real potential is Kahului Harbor (Maui). It’s a reef break for advanced crew only. Water temps are sitting at 80°, which is pretty average for this time of year. Nothing weird going on there.

Right off the bat, there’s a long dry spell. The first record kicks off Thursday afternoon, August 13th, but the surf is a total mess. We’ve got a weak 5ft swell from the ENE at a short 7 seconds, and a 25 mph cross-on wind is just chopping everything up. Combined energy is barely there at 268. That’s a hard pass.

Friday the 14th through to Monday the 17th stays ugly. Swell bumps up a bit – 6ft to 10ft – but the wind stays cross-on or cross, and the energy gets high (up to 2031 on Sunday morning), but it’s just too big and messy. Sunday morning, August 16th, is actually flagged as too big for this break. Not a paddle session. If anything, that wind and swell combo looks way more interesting for kite surfing than trying to get a clean wave on a board.

From Tuesday the 18th through to Wednesday the 26th, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions. Swell hovers around 3ft to 6ft, but wind is constantly cross-on or cross, periods are short (7-8 seconds), and the energy stays low to moderate (133 to 425). Nothing to get excited about. This is a blank run that lasts from the start all the way through to early morning on Thursday, August 27th.

Now, here’s the only flicker of hope. On Thursday morning, August 27th, the swell direction swings to straight East with a period of 18 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 1103, so there’s some push behind it. Swell is only 4ft, so it’s a bit undersized, but the wind is a gentle cross-shore with slight cross-chop – not perfect, but way cleaner than anything before. It’s labeled marginal though, and the tide could be tricky. The biggest standout is Friday morning, August 28th, when the swell hits 5ft with a 16-second period and 1505 combined energy. Wind is gentle cross-shore again. That’s the best on offer for the whole outlook. It’s still a bit marginal and the break is inconsistent, so don’t expect a carnival, but for anyone wanting clean lines on a reef, that Friday morning is the one to aim for. Crowds are possible there, so get in early.

Overall, it’s a rough start, a long quiet middle, and a late surge of real groundswell that might just save the window. The long period stuff should hold up well at the reef. Keep an eye on that Friday the 28th.

Rusty.

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