
Surf Forecasts:
Kawaihae Breakwater surf forecast from 7 Sep 2026:
- Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 5.5ft (1.7m), 14s period, WSW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Tuesday 8 Sep, 2AM (local time) - 6ft (1.9m), 13s period, WSW swell with 1,235 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 6 Sep, 11PM (local time) - 3.5ft (1.0m), 12s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kawaihae Breakwater this week:
The surf forecast for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Sep 06) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.0m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kawaihae Breakwater in the next 16 days are 1.9m 13s and forecast to arrive on Tuesday (Sep 08) at 2AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Monday (Sep 07) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Sun 6th Sep) | 3.5ft (1.0m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Mon 7th Sep) | 5.5ft (1.7m) 14s |
| Most Powerful | 2AM (Tue 8th Sep) | 6ft (1.9m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for this stretch of coast. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there are a couple of moments that’ll get a nod from the locals.
The overall pattern is pretty mellow for the most part, with a noticeable gap of flat or poor conditions sitting right in the middle of the outlook. After a brief window of clean, surfable waves early next week, things drop right out for several days. It’s not until much later in the second week that we see a tiny bit of energy coming back, but it’s nothing spectacular.
First up, Kawaihae Breakwater (Hawaii) has a fleeting moment of goodness on Monday, September 7th. The Monday afternoon session is where you want to be. The swell is 4ft coming from the SW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 309. The wind is glassy calm, so it’ll be clean as a whistle. This is the best on offer for the whole outlook—a proper little window of fun waves with no wind chop. The water temp is sitting around 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit.
Tuesday the 8th sees the swell push up to 5ft, WSW, and the combined energy climbs to 537, which is moderate to strong. But don’t get too excited—the wind switches to a light cross-on and cross-shore, making the conditions marginal and a bit bumpy. It’s surfable if you’re desperate but not a standout.
Then we hit a big dry spell. From Wednesday the 9th right through to Sunday the 13th, the swell drops to under 2ft, with periods all over the shop and mostly poor surf conditions. The combined energy plummets to weak numbers, sometimes as low as 24. You’re looking at glassy water but barely a ripple to ride. This gap lasts a solid 5 to 6 days of nothing worth paddling out for.
Things barely flicker back to life around Monday the 14th through to Wednesday the 16th. The swell is tiny, around 1.0ft to 1ft, but there are some long-period groundswell pulses (20 seconds plus) coming from the SW. The combined energy nudges up to 106 or 113 on a couple of those mornings, which is moderate but weak in terms of height. The winds are calm and glassy, so if you have a log and low expectations, the early morning on Tuesday the 15th or Wednesday the 16th might give you a few ankle-biters. Crowds are possible here at times, but with waves this small, it’s unlikely to be packed.
From Thursday the 17th all the way to the end of the outlook on Monday the 21st, the swell stays below 1ft and energy readings drop back into the weak 20s to 60s. Poor conditions dominate, and there’s just no reason to get worked up. It’s a real flat spell to close things out.
In short: the one true standout is Monday afternoon, September 7th at Kawaihae Breakwater—clean, glassy, 4ft SW swell with moderate energy. After that, it’s a long, quiet stretch with a couple of barely-there windows for the patient.
Stay tuned, forecasts can always shift.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Sun night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 27°C on Wed night, min 25°C on Thu night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Monday 7 | Tuesday 8 | Wednesday 9 | Thursday 10 | Friday 11 | Saturday 12 | ||||||||||||||
Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 11 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | WNW 8 | W 6 | W 6 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||
437 | 205 | 507 | 1235 | 638 | 530 | 188 | 50 | 21 | 6 | 43 | 50 | 42 | 65 | 24 | 57 | 60 | 29 | 29 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | glassy | glassy | on | on | cross-on | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy |
High Tide | 1:17AM0.24m | 1:49PM0.75m | 2:08AM0.31m | 2:32PM0.75m | 2:51AM0.39m | 3:10PM0.73m | 3:32AM0.46m | 3:45PM0.69m | 4:11AM0.53m | 4:16PM0.63m | 4:50AM0.58m | 4:46PM0.55m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:26PM0.06m | 6:29AM0.01m | 8:55PM0.03m | 7:32AM-0.01m | 9:22PM0.01m | 8:26AM-0.02m | 9:48PM-0.01m | 9:15AM-0.00m | 10:13PM-0.02m | 10:03AM0.02m | 10:37PM-0.02m | 10:50AM0.06m | 11:00PM-0.01m | ||||||
— | 6:07 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | 6:09 | — | — | |
6:34 | — | 6:32 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:30 | — | — | 6:29 | — | — | 6:28 | — | |
mm | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 11 | SW 14 | WSW 13 | WSW 11 | W 10 | W 10 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 7 | NE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 8 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 | NE 6 | NNE 8 |
437 | 205 | 507 | 1235 | 638 | 530 | 188 | 53 | 54 | 62 | 57 | 19 | 50 | 39 | 40 | 37 | 45 | 31 | 62 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NE 7 | NE 12 | NE 11 | NE 10 | NE 9 | WNW 8 | W 6 | SSW 13 | SW 16 | SW 18 | SW 11 | SW 10 | SW 10 | SW 15 | SW 15 | NNE 8 | SW 14 |
26 | 70 | 55 | 161 | 174 | 120 | 79 | 50 | 21 | 33 | 43 | 50 | 40 | 35 | 24 | 57 | 60 | 27 | 29 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | ENE 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SW 8 | SW 7 | SW 7 | W 6 | SSW 12 | SW 11 | SW 16 | SW 16 | ENE 11 | ENE 10 | ENE 10 | SW 14 | WSW 8 |
81 | 79 | 79 | 78 | 84 | 81 | 40 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 42 | 65 | 23 | 21 | 19 | 29 | 7 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 21 | 0 | 87 | 54 | 50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 88 | 65 | 87 | 86 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
Information about the Kawaihae Breakwater Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Kawaihae Breakwater provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kawaihae Breakwater can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kawaihae Breakwater surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Kawaihae Breakwater) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Kawaihae Breakwater may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Kawaihae Breakwater is 87 km (54 miles) from Hilo. If you plan a vacation in Big Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hilo. Hilo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.










