Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at the outlook for Kawaihae Breakwater.

Honestly, the next week and a half is going to feel pretty flat and frustrating. From now through the 10th of July, we are looking at tiny, poor surf conditions. The wave heights are barely showing, with combined swell energy staying under 100 (weak). There’s nothing doing for paddle surfing. The wind is offshore or glassy pretty much the whole time, which would be great if there was any swell to clean up, but right now it’s just a flat, calm ocean. The water here is sitting around 80°, which is about average for the time of year based on the anomaly.

The real story here is that we’ve got a long gap of nearly no surf until things finally start to pick up around the 11th of July. On Saturday the 11th, we finally see a pulse—it’s still small, with a swell of 2ft to 1ft from the west and southwest, and the combined energy bumps up to 152 (moderate). But the conditions are still described as “very ordinary.” It's not until Monday the 13th of July that something actually worth talking about shows up.

The standout window is Monday the 13th through Wednesday the 15th of July. On Monday the 13th afternoon, the wind goes glassy calm, and we get a 2ft west swell with a period of 16 seconds, giving us a combined energy of 331 (moderate) and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s a long-period groundswell, so the wave shape should be good with clean faces, and the glassy conditions will make for some beautiful, uncrowded sessions. Tuesday the 14th is also looking excellent, with clean offshore NNE winds in the morning and glassy conditions in the afternoon, keeping that 2ft west swell clean with energy up in the 282–292 range. Wednesday the 15th continues the trend, though the wind picks up a little, but still offshore and clean.

Crowds are possible here, so mid-week might be the best time to get a few waves to yourself. This reef break isn’t known for big numbers, but with decent conditions like this, don’t be surprised if a few others show up. The optimum swell direction for Kawaihae Breakwater is from the west, and that’s exactly what we are getting—so the setup is aligned.

Now, into the second week, things start to ease off again. Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th still have some waist-high west swell with clean conditions, but the energy drops and conditions are back to “very ordinary.” It’s still surfable for a log or a longboard, but don’t expect the same quality as Monday through Wednesday.

So, to wrap it up: save your energy for Monday the 13th through Wednesday the 15th. The rest of the outlook is lean, but that window looks like the real deal.

- Rusty

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