Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what we've got on the cards for Kawaihae Breakwater. It's a bit of a quiet start, but there's a window of cleaner, more promising surf coming up.

Right out of the gate, from Tuesday the 7th right through until the end of Friday the 10th, the surf is just too small and weak to bother with. We're talking waves under 1ft and combined swell energy barely ticking over 0 to 51. It's a flat spell to start, so don't even think about paddling out. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Things finally start to show some life on the morning of Saturday the 11th of July. We get a pulse of 1ft swell from the W, but the period is short at 8 seconds and combined energy is only 112. It's surfable but very ordinary. That trend continues through Sunday and Monday, with the swell holding around 1ft from the SW, but still just not enough push to get excited about.

Now, here's where it gets good. The standout window is Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th of July. We get a cleaner 2ft swell from the W, with a long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, boys. The combined energy climbs to 290 and 295 respectively, a moderate energy level that’s got some real oomph. Winds are light – light breeze to slight air – meaning clean, glassy conditions. For a reef break like Kawaihae Breakwater, that long-period W swell is going to shape up beautifully. This is the best we’re going to see in the 16-day run. The consistency is fairly consistent here, but crowds are sometimes a factor, so keep that in mind.

After that little burst, the swell backs off again. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th drop to 2ft and 2ft with lower period, and by Sunday the 19th we are right back to flat, poor conditions with energy down to zero.

Then, right at the tail end, on Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd of July, we see another small increase. The swell is 1ft to 2ft from the SW with a long period of 17 seconds, and combined energy of 135. It’s not the quality of that mid-month window, and it’s surfable but very ordinary again. The winds are offshore and light, so it’ll be clean, but the size is just too small to call it a proper session.

Overall, the pick of the bunch is Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th of July. That's the time to be in the water. For the rest of the period, it's mostly a flat to marginal run.

Rusty.

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