Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at you from the Big Island. Let's take a look at what's on the menu for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – we're looking at a pretty flat spell to kick things off. The first real chance to even talk about getting wet doesn't come around until Friday, the 10th of July, and even then, it's a slow start. The week leading up to that is all tiny, weak stuff. We're talkin' waves barely a whisper with periods making it look like a lake, and the combined energy is just a whisper (16) at best. The northeast trade winds are blowing, but they're offshore here, so the water is clean, but there's just no push. Temps are sitting at a warm 81°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you're not freezing on the paddle out, but there's no point getting your board wet.

The first tiny pulses start showing up around the 10th and 11th. We're looking at a 1ft to 2ft west swell, with a period of 14 seconds. That's a long period for such a small wave, and the energy is still weak (93-97). The wind is light and offshore, so it'll be clean, but honestly, it's barely surfable. The 12th of July sees a bump in the combined energy (155) but the swell height stays around 1ft to 2ft, and the wind is near glassy. Still pretty ordinary.

Now, the real standout comes in the second week. The morning of Monday, the 13th of July, the energy starts to build (257) with a 2ft west swell and a 16 second period. The wind goes glassy. That's a good sign. But the highlight for this whole forecast is Tuesday, the 14th, and Wednesday, the 15th. This is when it gets good. The swell jumps to 3ft to 3ft from the west-northwest, with a long period of 16 to 17 seconds. The combined energy is strong (433-454), meaning there's a lot of water moving. The kicker is the wind: glassy in the mornings and light offshore in the afternoons. This is where Kawaihae Breakwater will start to shine. That long period groundswell will wrap perfectly around the breakwater, and with those conditions, it'll be super clean. The crowds are listed as "sometimes", so you might have a few others out, but it won't be a zoo. The swell direction is from the west and west-northwest, which matches the optimum swell direction for this spot. This is the best window of the outlook.

The swell starts to back down a bit from the 16th onward, dropping to 2ft and then 2ft, and the energy fades back into the triple digits. The wind stays good, but the wave size drops off. The 18th of July has a 2ft west swell and glassy conditions, but it's a wrap.

So, to put it simply: the first nine days are a write-off. The action starts on the 13th, but the absolute best days are the 14th and 15th of July. Get on the water then. The 16th is still okay, but the magic fades after that.

Rusty

Read more