Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get real about the next couple weeks at Kawaihae Breakwater.

The short version? We're looking at a whole lot of nothing. This is a long, drawn-out flat spell. The only thing even approaching a surfable wave is right at the start, and even then, you’ll be squinting.

Sunday Afternoon (August 23rd)
This is your one and only window. We’ve got a tiny 1ft WNW swell with a 11-second period. There’s a light NE offshore wind at 9 mph, so the surface should be clean. But the energy is weak, just 77. Water temp is 82°F, running about 2°F warmer than normal for this time of year—it's a touch warm, but no big deal. It’s surfable, but it's barely a bump. You’ll be on a longboard, that’s for sure.

The Long, Grim Stretch
From Monday morning (August 24th) on, the story is brutal. We’re talking swell heights of 0.3ft to 0.7ft, with weak energy readings mostly in the teens and twenties. There’s a lot of SSW swell on the cards, which is exactly the wrong direction—this spot wants west in the water. The winds are offshore and clean for the most part, which is a waste of good wind. You’ll also see a few completely flat periods, like Thursday afternoon (August 27th) and Friday morning (August 28th).

There is a slight lift around Sunday, September 7th, with a longer-period groundswell from the W and WNW peaking at about 1ft, with energy numbers creeping into the mid-40s. It’ll look glassy and pretty, but it’s still just a ripple.

The Bottom Line
Look, that first Sunday afternoon is the only thing worth your time. It’s clean, but it’s tiny. The rest of this forecast is a total write-off. A blank run like this isn't unheard of for this break. We just gotta wait for a proper pulse of west swell to breathe some life back into it. Until then, keep the board in the car and the stoke in your heart.

Rusty.

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