Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Kawaihae Breakwater over the next couple of weeks.

Water temps are sitting at 81°F which is about average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

The first part of the outlook is pretty quiet. We’ve got a few small, surfable waves starting Wednesday morning, August 19th, with a tiny 1 ft swell out of the WNW at 12 seconds. The wind is light cross-off from the NNE at 3 mph, so it’s clean enough but the energy is weak (73). Honestly, it’s very ordinary—just something to get wet on. The rest of that week and into the next is a real mixed bag of tiny, poor surf conditions. Thursday morning the 20th, it drops to 1.0 ft from the SW with a long period of 18 seconds—that’s a groundswell, but it’s so small it’s barely a ripple. The afternoon goes glassy, which is nice, but the swell is still tiny. Friday the 21st shows a little bump in energy to 122 (moderate) with a 1 ft SW swell at 16 seconds and glassy conditions, so that’s the most interesting of the early period, but it’s still small for the reef.

After that, from Saturday the 22nd through the middle of the following week, we’re looking at a real lull. The swell is consistently 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft, mostly from the W or SSW, and the energy is weak (often under 50). The wind is offshore or glassy at times, but the waves are just too small for any real surfing. This spot is a fairly consistent reef break, but it’s going through a flat spell here. There’s a solid gap of several days with no real surf on offer.

The standout in this 16-day window, if you can call it that, is actually at the very end of the forecast. On Thursday morning, September 3rd, we see a bit of a pulse: 1 ft swell from the WNW at 14 seconds, with energy up to 81 and glassy conditions. The wind is light from the NNW at 3 mph, and the afternoon stays glassy with a calm wind. It’s still small, but given the run of flat days, this is the best you’re going to get—clean, glassy, and a little more energy. The optimum swell direction for Kawaihae Breakwater is W, and this is WNW, so it’s close enough to be working the reef. The 1 ft is a beginner-friendly size, and with the long period, the waves will have some shape, but it’s a reef break so it won’t be too walled-up.

Overall, this is a quiet period. The first week is mostly poor, the second week is a long gap, and the only real glimmer is that first week of September. Don’t expect much, but keep an eye on that Thursday.

Rusty

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