Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Break

Lat Long: 20.05° N 155.84° W

Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 1 pm 12 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Kawaihae Breakwater sea temperature is
27.7°C
0.9° 

Kawaihae Breakwater surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Kawaihae Breakwater surf forecast from 13 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 21s period, SW swell with offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Wednesday 16 Sep, 5PM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 18s period, SW swell with 152 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Tuesday 15 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 21s 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 Tuesday (Sep 15) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.3m and 21s period. The wind is predicted to be offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Kawaihae Breakwater in the next 16 days are 0.5m 18s and forecast to arrive on Wednesday (Sep 16) at 5PM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 8s period and expected on Thursday (Sep 17) at 2PM.

Wave TypeTime (HST) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Tue 15th Sep)1ft (0.3m) 21s
Best Surf 5AM (Tue 15th Sep)1ft (0.3m) 21s
Most Powerful 5PM (Wed 16th Sep)1.5ft (0.5m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cooking for the Kawaihae Breakwater area over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the opening stretch is a bit of a slow burner. We're kicking off with tiny, weak surf that barely registers, so don't get your hopes up for any real action just yet. The good news is the winds are light and often glassy, so when something does show up, it'll be clean.

We'll see a slight nudge in energy from Tuesday the 15th onwards. The combined energy is still weak (98), and we're looking at small 1 ft swells from the SW. The real saving grace is the offshore to glassy conditions that will keep things tidy. It's not going to be world-class, but for a small-wave session, it'll be fun. The water temp is sitting around 82°F, which is pretty average for this time of year.

The most interesting window appears to be from the 16th of September into the 18th. The Wednesday afternoon session on the 16th sees a bump in energy to a moderate level (152) with a clean 2 ft SW swell and a moderate offshore breeze. The swell period is a decent 18 seconds, which for a reef break like this should translate to some long, lined-up waves. The Thursday afternoon on the 17th is similar (energy of 97) with clean conditions. And Friday afternoon the 18th also shows some promise with a moderate energy (148) and glassy conditions. These few days are the best on offer, with the SW swell direction being right on the money for the break's optimum. The swell is small enough for everyone, but the quality from the offshore winds and the reef setup will make it feel a lot better than the numbers suggest. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so if you see a few cars, don't be surprised.

After that, from around the 19th, the energy drops back down to weak levels, and we get a bit of a run of ordinary, poor surf conditions. The swell hangs around 1 ft but the energy fades. There's a couple of flat days on the 21st and 22nd of September, with no swell to speak of. By the 24th and 25th, we see a little life return with some glassy windows, but the overall quality is still just 'surfable but very ordinary'.

Looking way out to the 27th of September, the Sunday morning shows a little spike in energy (115) and a long period of 21 seconds. It's still only a 1 ft swell, but that long period might produce some sneaky sets if you're patient. It's a long way off, so treat that as a hopeful guess rather than a guarantee.

So, in short: don't rush out now. Keep an eye on the middle of the week starting September 16th, as that's your best bet for some clean, fun waves at the Breakwater.

Rusty.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 28°C on Sun afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Light rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Thu night. Warm (max 29°C on Wed morning, min 26°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Sat
12
Sunday
13
Monday
14
Tuesday
15
Wednesday
16
Thursday
17
Friday
18
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
1
1
1
1
1
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.3
SW
14
0.3
SW
14
0.2
SSW
12
0.2
SSW
15
0.2
SSW
14
0.2
W
10
0.2
SSW
22
0.2
SSW
21
0.4
SW
20
0.4
SW
19
0.4
SW
19
0.4
SW
18
0.5
SW
18
0.4
SW
17
0.4
SW
16
0.4
SW
16
0.5
SW
17
0.4
SW
18
0.5
SW
17
0.5
SW
16
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
29
29
15
21
20
8
46
45
98
96
94
79
152
75
65
64
148
78
145
129
Wind (km/h)
0
W
5
ENE
5
N
10
NE
10
ENE
5
NNW
5
NE
5
NE
5
N
10
ENE
10
ENE
15
NE
20
NE
15
NE
10
NE
5
NE
10
ENE
5
NE
5
NE
10
E
Wind State
glassy
cross-off
glassy
off
off
glassy
off
off
glassy
off
off
off
off
off
off
off
cross-off
glassy
glassy
cross-off
High Tide
4:46PM0.55m
5:28AM0.61m
5:15PM0.47m
6:08AM0.62m
5:43PM0.39m
6:50AM0.62m
6:10PM0.32m
7:39AM0.59m
6:37PM0.25m
8:41AM0.57m
7:08PM0.20m
10:00AM0.55m
9:49PM0.17m
Low Tide
11:00PM-0.01m
11:39AM0.10m
11:22PM-0.00m
12:31PM0.14m
11:45PM0.02m
1:34PM0.18m
00:09AM0.04m
3:00PM0.20m
00:37AM0.07m
5:26PM0.20m
1:16AM0.10m
7:14PM0.16m
2:31AM0.12m
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
thunderstorm
part cloud
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:09
6:09
6:09
6:09
6:11
6:11
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:28
6:28
6:27
6:25
6:24
6:23
6:22
 mm
1
5
2
Temp °C
27
26
27
28
26
27
28
27
28
28
27
29
29
27
28
28
27
28
28
27
Feels °C
30
29
30
30
27
30
31
30
32
32
30
31
30
29
32
32
31
32
33
31
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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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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