Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a good, long look at what we've got coming down the pike for Kawaihae Breakwater, a reef setup over on the west side. We're staring at a 16-day window that starts quiet and stays stubbornly small.

The Big Picture

Honestly, the opening stretch from September 11th right through to the 14th is a write-off. Critical isn’t the word; the swell is tiny, coming in at a measly 1 ft, and the "combined energy" is barely registering a pulse, sitting at a weak 57. The water is warm, sitting at 82°F, which is about average for this time of year, but that’s small comfort when you’re bobbing around on a lake. It’s just poor surf, plain and simple. We've got a four-day gap of absolutely nothing worth paddling out for at the start.

Things get *slightly* less ordinary from Tuesday, September 15th. We start seeing some "surfable but very ordinary" conditions. The swell nudges up to 1 ft, still from the southwest, and we're finally seeing a bit of life in the wave energy, hitting a moderate 98. The surface is clean with glassy conditions and offshore winds, but you’d have to be a local to get excited about this.

On Wednesday, September 16th, we see a bit of a spike in the afternoon. The swell bumps to 2 ft from the southwest with a period of 18 seconds—that's a proper groundswell window. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 152, which is the highest we see for a while. The winds are offshore and clean. It’s still tiny, but if you’re desperate and can read a reef, the afternoon session might give you a few waist-high runners.

The pattern holds steady for the rest of the week and into the next. The swell stays locked in that 1.0 ft to 2 ft range with the energy bouncing around. Thursday the 18th offers a similar vibe with 2 ft waves and glassy conditions. The crowd profile is "sometimes", so you might share the reef with a few others, but at this size, it’s not going to be a zoo.

By September 26th, that Saturday, there’s a tiny shift. The swell comes from the NNW at 1 ft, with the combined energy still in the moderate territory at 146. The early morning window looks glassy, but the afternoon gets messy with a cross-onshore wind and small wind ripples. The wave quality drops right back to "poor."

The Standout

Honestly, there isn't a true stand-out session in this window. If I had to single something out, it would be the Wednesday, September 16th afternoon. That 2 ft southwest groundswell (18-second period) pushing against a NE offshore breeze gives you the cleanest, most lined-up waves on offer. The energy (152) is the highest we see. But let’s be real, it’s still small, and this reef break might be more interesting for a longboard or a funboard than a shortboard.

For the long range, there's a whisper of something on September 25th with a 2 ft SW swell and good energy (122), but that's over a week away and these things are never a sure bet.

Rusty, signing off.

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