Kailua Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cookin’ for Kailua Beach over the next couple weeks.

Honestly, the pattern from now through the first week of September is pretty grim. You can basically write off the entire stretch from Friday the 21st all the way through the first few days of September – nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is locked in from the east and east-northeast, blowing cross-onshore at 15 to 22 mph, sometimes stronger. That onshore breeze is just wrecking any chance of clean surf. The swell stays small to moderate, around 4 ft to 6 ft, but it’s short-period (6 to 7 seconds), so it’s weak and disorganised. The water temp at Kailua Beach is about 80°F with a tiny anomaly of about 0.4°F, so pretty much normal for this time of year.

Around Friday the 28th of August, the swell drops right off – only 3 ft – but the period jumps to a very long 14 seconds. That’s groundswell coming from the east, but the wind is still onshore and on, making it look useless. Energy readings are strong, but it’s all wasted.

Into the end of the month and early September, we start seeing a much bigger swell pulse, but it’s still accompanied by messy wind. By Monday the 31st of August, the swell hits 10 ft to 12 ft with 10 to 11 second periods – that’s very strong energy – but the wind is onshore and fresh, and the wave comments are still poor. At height over 8 ft and onshore, this is expert-only territory, and even then it’s not going to be clean. The wind stays strong (25-28 mph) into September 1st, occasionally shifting offshore a touch, but the surf quality is still noted as poor.

From September 2nd onward, the swell drops back to 6 ft to 7 ft, period shortens to 8-9 seconds, and there’s a risk of thunderstorms. Still cross-onshore or cross-shore wind, still poor conditions.

All in all, this region has been dealt a rough hand. There’s quite a run of 16 days here with no good surf on offer. Kailua Beach is exposed to swell from the NE, which is the optimum direction, but the wind never plays ball. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers given the strong onshore wind and lumpy conditions. If you’ve got to be in the water, just keep an eye on the forecasts—things can flip, but right now it’s a long, poor stretch.

Rusty.

Read more