Surf Forecasts:
Kawaihae Breakwater surf forecast from 12 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Wednesday 19 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period, WNW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Wednesday 12 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 13s period, WNW swell with 57 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 19 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.4m), 12s period with WNW 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 Wednesday (Aug 19) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.4m and 12s period. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kawaihae Breakwater in the next 16 days are 0.4m 13s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Aug 12) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.5m 8s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 15) at 11PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Wed 19th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 12s |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Wed 12th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.4m) 13s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty. Let's talk about what's on the menu for the Kawaihae Breakwater spot over the next couple of weeks.
Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week is a tough one. We're looking at a long stretch of minimal surf. From Wednesday, the 12th of August, all the way through to the start of the next week, it's just tiny. We're talking ankle-snappers at 0.7ft to 1.0ft. The wind is offshore from the Northeast, which is great for keeping the surface clean, but there's just no push behind it. The combined swell energy is weak, barely cracking 30 or 40 (22 to 36), and it's all pretty weak. The water temperature is sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year, so that's fine.
Saturday the 15th sees the wind really crank up from the NE, hitting 28 to 31 mph. That's a strong to near-gale offshore breeze. It'll be clean, sure, but it's going to be an absolute battle to paddle into anything, especially with waves only 0.7ft to 1.0ft. Not worth the effort.
We get a bit of a break on Sunday the 16th with a lull in the wind, but the wind shifts onshore from the SW, and the waves are still tiny. It's a mess.
Now, things start to look a little more promising right around Wednesday the 19th of August. The swell stays small at 1ft, but the wind drops right off. We're seeing light NE breezes and even some glassy conditions. The combined energy bumps up a bit (73), and the conditions are described as "surfable." It's still very ordinary, but it's a step up. The real standout in this whole forecast comes on the morning of Friday the 21st of August. The swell is still a modest 1ft from the Southwest, but the period is a solid 16 seconds – that's a proper groundswell. More importantly, it's glassy. Absolutely flat calm. The combined energy is the highest we've seen at 91. For a reef break, that long-period SW swell is going to offer the best shape we'll see in this window. The crowd profile says "sometimes," so you might have a few others in the water, but for a wave that small, it shouldn't be a hassle.
The window closes out the weekend of the 23rd and 24th with a few more small, clean days, but nothing that beats that glassy Friday morning. The best call is to aim for the 21st of August.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 2mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Winds increasing (light winds from the ENE on Wed night, fresh winds from the NE by Fri night). | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryHeavy rain (total 78mm), heaviest during Sat night. Warm (max 29°C on Sun morning, min 25°C on Sat afternoon). Winds decreasing (gales from the NE on Sat night, calm by Mon morning). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 12 | Thursday 13 | Friday 14 | Saturday 15 | Sunday 16 | Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | W 11 | WNW 13 | SSW 16 | WNW 12 | W 12 | W 12 | W 11 | W 12 | NNE 6 | W 11 | W 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 11 | WNW 13 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 22 | 33 | 0 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 24 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 34 | 31 | 49 | 46 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 55 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | off | on | on | cross | cross-off | glassy | cross-off | off | off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 4:16PM0.81m | 4:30AM0.38m | 4:52PM0.76m | 5:16AM0.44m | 5:25PM0.69m | 6:01AM0.48m | 5:56PM0.60m | 6:49AM0.51m | 6:24PM0.51m | 7:40AM0.53m | 6:51PM0.41m | 8:37AM0.54m | 7:15PM0.33m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:15AM-0.06m | 11:06PM-0.01m | 10:03AM-0.03m | 11:35PM-0.01m | 10:52AM0.02m | 00:02AM-0.01m | 11:41AM0.09m | 00:29AM0.00m | 12:35PM0.16m | 00:54AM0.02m | 1:40PM0.21m | 1:21AM0.04m | 3:09PM0.25m | 1:51AM0.05m | |||||||
 |  |  | | | | | |  |  |  |  | | |  | | |  | | | | |
 | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | 6:53 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | 6:51 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 9 | 49 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 25 |
Feels °C | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 33 | 32 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 13 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | SSW 16 | NNE 6 | SSW 14 | NE 8 | SSW 14 | NE 9 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | NE 9 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 | NE 7 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 |
| kJ | 32 | 37 | 30 | 48 | 55 | 70 | 15 | 40 | 20 | 35 | 35 | 974 | 176 | 115 | 73 | 94 | 65 | 17 | 17 | 24 | 13 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | NE 7 | SSW 15 | W 12 | SSW 14 | W 12 | ENE 10 | W 11 | W 11 | ENE 10 | SSW 8 | SSW 7 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | NE 8 | NE 8 | NE 7 | WNW 13 |
| kJ | 7 | 32 | 51 | 7 | 44 | 25 | 41 | 24 | 20 | 21 | 10 | 139 | 19 | 29 | 46 | 24 | 24 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 55 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 11 | WNW 13 | SSW 13 | WNW 12 | W 12 | S 18 | W 11 | SW 17 | SSW 13 | W 15 | W 14 | WNW 13 | WNW 13 | WNW 12 | WSW 4 | WSW 5 | S 14 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | W 11 | NE 7 |
| kJ | 22 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 25 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 35 | 4 | 16 | 34 | 31 | 49 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 22 | 9 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NNE 5 | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NNE 6 | NNE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 6 | NE 8 | NE 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| kJ | 14 | — | — | 23 | — | 53 | 40 | 75 | 77 | 255 | 198 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 49 | 91 | 35 | 46 | 46 | 32 | 46 | 49 | 35 | 46 | 49 | 447 | 23 | 21 | 53 | 87 | 88 | 35 | 88 | 88 | 78 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
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