Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the look ahead for our local patch. It’s been a bit slow to start, but there’s a real beauty brewing if you can wait.

The first few days are a write-off, but hold tight. The real story is the big pulse of long-period groundswell that arrives on Monday the 7th of September. That’s the standout, and it’s a beauty.

Friday, September 4th and Saturday, September 5th are a total bust. The swell's barely there, or absent. Forget it.

Sunday, September 6th we finally get something to surf. The swell builds from the SW, around 4ft to 4ft and a period of 13 seconds. The combined energy is building into the moderate range (424 to 488). The wind is glassy or light offshore in the morning, so it’ll be clean. The water is sitting at 82°, which is about normal for this time of year. It’s surfable, but it’s just the warm-up act.

Monday, September 7th is the day. This is the one you want to be in the water for. Kawaihae Breakwater (Big Island) switches on. We’ve got a strong SW groundswell, with the morning seeing 6ft and a very long period of 15 seconds, and the afternoon pushing 8ft from the WSW with a 14-second period. The combined energy is pumping into the strong range, hitting 1619 and 2089. This is serious, powerful ocean. The wind is glassy all day. This is excellent surf, but at 8ft, this is for experienced surfers only. The long period will make for clean, powerful lines on this reef setup, but it’s a lot of water moving. The crowds are a possibility here, so get there early.

Tuesday, September 8th is a comedown. The swell drops to 5ft in the morning (period 11 seconds) with a cross-on breeze, making it a bit marginal. The afternoon cleans up though, with a glassy 4ft from the WNW. It’s a fun-sized day, but nothing like Monday.

From Wednesday, September 9th all the way through to Saturday, September 19th, things get small and inconsistent. The swell drops to tiny 1ft to 2ft leftovers. The wind is mostly offshore or glassy, so it’ll be clean, but there’s just no energy to work with. The combined energy stays under 200 (weak) for most of this stretch. There are some small pulses of longer period energy (18-20 seconds) on the 15th and 16th, but with only 1ft and 2ft of height, it’s barely a ripple. You’ll be bobbing around more than surfing.

So, to sum it up: the first couple of days are flat. Sunday the 6th is a bit of fun. Monday the 7th is the absolute standout – a glassy, powerful, long-period groundswell that will have Kawaihae Breakwater firing for the experienced crew. After that, it’s a long, flat stretch of small, clean waves.

Rusty.

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