Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's brewing for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough start. We're looking at a solid block of days with next to nothing on the menu. From Thursday, the 30th of July, all the way through to the morning of Friday, the 7th of August, the surf is flat or just offering tiny, weak dribbles that aren't worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting at a warm 80°, which is about average for this time of year, but that's the only nice thing I can say about this stretch.

The first real flicker of life shows up on Friday afternoon, the 7th of August. We'll see a tiny pulse of swell start to fill in, but it's still very ordinary. The waves are small, and the energy is low (96). It's not until the morning of Saturday, the 8th of August, that we start to see something you can actually ride. The swell bumps up to 2ft from the west, with a moderate energy level (119), and the wind is a nice light offshore from the NE, keeping things clean. The period is 13 seconds, which is a solid groundswell. This is where the week starts to turn.

The standout window, and I mean the real standout, is shaping up for the second week. Sunday, the 9th of August, offers more of the same – 2ft west swell with clean conditions – but the real joy is on the horizon. Look at Monday the 10th of August. The morning is glassy, with a 2ft west swell, but the period jumps to 14 seconds, and the energy kicks up to a solid 234. That's a proper groundswell with some push. The afternoon is a bit riskier with a chance of thunderstorms, but the wind is still light offshore. Tuesday the 11th is another beauty, with the swell holding at 2ft from the west, a 14-second period, and glassy conditions in the afternoon. It's clean, it's got energy, and for a reef break like Kawaihae Breakwater, this long-period west swell is exactly what it wants.

The best of the best, however, is looking like Thursday the 14th of August. The morning sees a 3ft west swell with a 14-second period and a strong energy reading of 286. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the east, which should keep the face tidy. The afternoon gets even better, with the swell lifting to 3ft from the west, with a 14-second period and a very healthy energy of 350. This is the best surf we've got in the whole window. It's not huge, but it's consistent, clean, and has real power. The crowds at Kawaihae Breakwater can be a factor sometimes, so get in early.

To wrap it up: if you're a beginner, the swell stays under 5ft the whole time, so you're fine. For the experts, it won't be a big-day session, but the quality on offer from the 10th to the 14th is sweet. The long period (14-15 seconds) will make for nice, lined-up waves at this reef, but don't expect it to wall up too much at a beach break. This is a point-and-reef setup, and it's going to love it.

Rusty.

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