Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this is a quiet run for the Kawaihae Breakwater area. We’ve got a tiny window of something to ride, then a whole lot of nothing.

The 16-day window kicks off with a slim chance. On Friday, July 17th, we have a small, clean wave. The morning shows a 2 ft west swell, with a nice long period of 14 seconds, and a light offshore breeze from the NE. The water is sitting at 80°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate (228). It’s surfable, but just barely. The afternoon drops to 2 ft, still with that clean, offshore wind. It’s not going to blow your mind, but if you’re desperate, you’ll get a few. The reef set-up here in Kawaihae Breakwater means those long-period swells will wrap in nicely, but the size is tiny.

Saturday, July 18th, is the last call for a wave. The morning is 2 ft from the west, period of 13 seconds, and clean. The afternoon is the same height but with a bit more breeze from the ENE. That’s it for the foreseeable future.

From Sunday, July 19th, through to the end of the forecast on August 1st, the outlook is poor. The swell drops to 1.0 ft and below for days, with combined energy readings falling into the weak double digits (55, 41, 38, and lower). The wind stays offshore or glassy most of the time, which is a shame because there’s no swell to work with. There are long gaps of several days here with no real recommendations. A few tiny pulses of 0.7 ft from the SSW try to show up around July 23rd and 24th, and again on July 28th, 30th, and 31st, but they’re all listed as poor surf conditions. The period on those SSW pulses is long (16-17 seconds), but the energy is just too weak to do anything with. The best of a bad lot might be the July 31st afternoon, where we see 1.0 ft from the west, a 14-second period, and a gentle offshore breeze, but the energy is still only 57.

Honestly, for this entire stretch, the consistent offshore winds are a tease. The only spot we have data for is Kawaihae Breakwater, and it’s just not happening. If you’re a kitesurfer, the steady offshore winds and small, clean conditions might look interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a long, dry spell. The forecasts can change, but as it stands, my advice is to find something else to do for the next two weeks.

Rusty.

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