Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it's a slow start. The first real nod towards anything surfable kicks off this Saturday afternoon, the 22nd of August, at Kawaihae Breakwater. We're looking at a tiny 1ft swell from the SW, but the real story here is the long period. We're talking 16 seconds, which is proper groundswell. That kind of energy, even at this size, will make for some surprisingly fun, lined-up waves on this reef. The water is sitting at 81°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. The NE wind is offshore, keeping things clean, but the combined energy is weak at 120.

Sunday the 23rd is a bit similar. The morning sees a 2ft swell from the WNW with a 12-second period, and a moderate offshore breeze (12 mph). The energy is still moderate-weak (117). The afternoon drops to 1ft and 11 seconds, but gets a lighter breeze. It's still surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday the 24th of August all the way through to Friday the 4th of September, the waves just disappear. The swell drops to 0.7ft or less, and for a lot of that time, it's flat with zero energy. The winds are often offshore or glassy, which is a tease, but with no swell, it's just a calm ocean. That's a solid 12-day gap with no real recommendations.

Things finally start to wake up again on the 5th of September. The Saturday morning shows a 1.0ft swell from the WNW, but by the afternoon, it's still only 1.0ft with a 76 energy. It's a whisper.

The best of the bunch, and the only real standout, comes on Sunday the 6th of September. The morning sees a 2ft swell from the W, with a 13-second period. The energy jumps to 167, which is moderate. The afternoon is the pick: a 2ft W swell, with 13-second periods, and a light 6 mph offshore breeze from the NE. The energy is 200, the highest of the whole forecast. This is a clean, offshore window with a little bit of push. It's a reef break, so that long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely. It's the best looking session of the lot.

So, the story is: a couple of small, long-period groundswell days this weekend, then a long flat spell, then a slightly better day on the 6th of September. Keep your expectations low, but that Sunday afternoon might just surprise you.

Rusty.

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