Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about this stretch of coast. We’ve got one spot on the radar for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The real action is all at the start, so let’s get into it.

The opening window is our champ. We’re looking at Kawaihae Breakwater kicking off right from Wednesday, 15 July. This is a reef setup, and it’s seeing a nice little pulse of West swell. The water temp is sitting at 80°F with an anomaly of 1°F, so it’s about average for this time of year. The big standout here is the conditions. Wednesday morning you’ve got glassy conditions with light N winds at 3 mph and a clean 3 ft swell from the west, with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s groundswell, folks, and it’s packing some decent energy (353). This will be a proper reef wave, not a mushy beach break. The long period means those sets will be clean and lined up, with nice gaps between them, making it easier to get out the back. Expect good surf. This is the best on offer, no question. Wednesday afternoon holds the same goodness with glassy conditions and ENE wind, still clean and 3 ft. Thursday morning is also a winner – crystal clear, offshore NNE wind at 3 mph, and that same 3 ft west swell (317 energy) – it’s going to be a clean, rippable wave. Thursday afternoon stays clean and offshore.

Friday, 17 July, is still surfable but the swell is starting to drop. You’ll get 2 ft in the morning and 2 ft in the afternoon, with clean, offshore wind from the NE at 6 mph. The energy is dropping (216 down to 159), so it’s still fun but not the standout. Saturday, 18 July, sees the swell drop to 2 ft, with the morning offshore and then going glassy in the afternoon. Energy is low (97). It’s surfable, but ordinary.

After that, we hit a dry spell. From Sunday, 19 July, through to the end of the month, the swell peters out completely. You’ll see tiny 0.7 ft to 1 ft waves with very low energy, and the conditions are poor or just ordinary. There’s a little blip on Friday, 24 July, with a 1 ft SSW swell showing up in the afternoon (128 energy), but it’s glassy and tiny. Nothing to get excited about. The rest of the 16-day window is flat with zero energy on many days, especially from 23 July onward. This is a long gap with no real recommendations.

So, for the whole outlook, the only green light is the first few days: Wednesday, 15 July, through to Saturday, 18 July. The absolute best wave will be Wednesday morning and Thursday morning at Kawaihae Breakwater. After that, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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