Kailua Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

First off, if you’re thinking about getting wet at Kailua Beach (Oahu), I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch ahead. The pattern for the entire 16-day window is pretty ugly. There’s no standout window of clean surf. It’s a long, long run of poor conditions, and the only hint of something rideable doesn’t show up until the second week.

We start from Monday the 24th of August with a persistent easterly trade wind blowing at 19 mph or more. That’s a fresh cross-onshore breeze chopping up the water and making everything lumpy. The swell sits around 4 ft to 6 ft from the east with a short, weak period of just 6 to 7 seconds. The wave energy is moderate – values in the 100s to low 400s – but it’s all junk. This rubbish continues day after day through the rest of August and into early September.

There is actually a massive spike in swell energy on the 5th and 6th of September. Swell hits 7 ft from the east-northeast with a very long period of 13 seconds on the 5th, and the combined energy rockets up over 1400! That’s strong to very strong wave energy. But the wind still blows 12 to 19 mph cross-onshore. That much long-period groundswell with wind chop is gonna be a washing machine. At a beach break, that long period will make it break too straight and messy. Not your day.

The first hint of something a bit better comes on Monday the 7th of September. The wind drops to a gentle breeze at 9 mph, still cross-onshore, but the swell is a solid 7 ft from the northeast with a period of 11 seconds and the energy is over 1000. The forecast calls it marginal, but for a surfer, this is the closest we get. It’s still a bit lumpy, but it’s the only period where the wind isn’t ruining everything. The following morning on Tuesday the 8th looks similar, but with a shorter period.

So, if I have to call one thing the best on offer, it’s that Monday the 7th of September. It’s not clean, but it’s the least dirty of the lot. The rest of the time? Just forget it. There’s a big gap of nothing good from the start until that Monday. Kailua Beach is pretty consistent in that it usually has some swell, but with this wind pattern, it’s a total write-off. Honestly, if you’re keen on getting out, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddling a surfboard for most of it.

Stay patient. Rusty.

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