Kahului Harbor Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, sit down. Let's have a good look at what's happening for Kahului Harbor over the next couple of weeks. To be honest with you, it's a bit of a mixed bag, and we're not looking at any perfect, clean windows for a long time. The water is sitting at 80°F, which is pretty much bang on for this time of year, so nothing to worry about on that front.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off. Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are just messy with cross-onshore winds messing up the small, weak swell. The wave energy is weak, sitting at around 177 (moderate wave energy) to 229 (moderate wave energy), and the period is short, so it's just not worth paddling out for. Wednesday the 22nd afternoon sees a jump in size, up to 5ft, and the period stretches to 12 seconds, which is a proper groundswell. The energy jumps right up to 562 (moderate wave energy), but the wind is still cross, so it's going to be choppy and not really clean. The forecast is calling it marginal at best.

Thursday the 23rd through to Friday the 24th, the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, the period drops back to short, and the quality is just poor. It's a complete no-go for a paddle board. The swell energy is moderate, but the wind is wrecking it. If you're into kiting, the setup might be interesting, but for surfing, it's a hard pass.

Now, here's where it gets a bit interesting. From Saturday the 25th onwards, we see a big pulse of long-period swell coming in from the east. Saturday morning, the swell is 6ft from the NE with a period of 8 seconds, and the energy is strong at 709 (strong wave energy). But the wind is still cross-onshore, so it's messy. The real standout is going to be Sunday the 26th. The swell is 5ft from the east, but the period is 16 seconds – that's a very long groundswell. The energy is massive at 1615 (very strong wave energy). This is the kind of swell that will wrap into the reef. However, the wind is cross-onshore, so it won't be glassy. For a reef break like this, that long period will draw some beautiful lines, but the cross-onshore chop will make it a bit of a battle. This is probably the best looking window for the whole forecast, but only for advanced surfers who can handle the size and the chop.

Monday the 27th is similar, with 6ft to 6ft swell from the east with a 14-second period, and the energy is still very strong (1527 to 1604 (very strong wave energy)). The wind is a bit lighter in the morning, which is a bonus, but it's still cross-onshore. It's a marginal call, but for a big wave surfer at Kahului Harbor, it's the best on offer.

The middle of the week, Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th, we see a slight drop in energy, but the swell size stays around 5ft to 6ft. The period drops to 11-12 seconds. Wednesday morning the 29th is notable because the wind goes light offshore, coming from the NNE at 3 mph. That's a huge positive. The swell is 6ft from the NE, period 11 seconds, and the energy is still strong (787). This is the best call of the whole forecast. If you can get out on Wednesday morning, the conditions will be clean, the swell will be solid, and the reef will be working. The energy is 787 (strong wave energy), so there will be plenty of push. The water is about average for the time of year. This is a standout for the advanced crew.

After that, things start to wind down. The end of the month and into the first week of August sees the swell drop back to 5ft to 7ft, but the period goes short (7-9 seconds), and the wind is back onshore. There's a pulse on the 2nd of August with 6ft to 7ft swell, but it's from the ENE with a short period, and the wind is cross-onshore, so it's just a lot of bumpy, weak energy. Nothing to get excited about. The energy is moderate (497 to 611 (moderate wave energy)).

So, to sum it up: the first week is a total washout. The standout is Wednesday the 29th morning when the wind goes offshore and the swell is still solid. The second best option is Sunday the 26th for the sheer size and energy, but you'll have to deal with the chop. For the rest of it, you're better off waiting for the next forecast. This is a tricky one for Kahului Harbor, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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