Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for this stretch of coast. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there are a couple of moments that’ll get a nod from the locals.

The overall pattern is pretty mellow for the most part, with a noticeable gap of flat or poor conditions sitting right in the middle of the outlook. After a brief window of clean, surfable waves early next week, things drop right out for several days. It’s not until much later in the second week that we see a tiny bit of energy coming back, but it’s nothing spectacular.

First up, Kawaihae Breakwater (Hawaii) has a fleeting moment of goodness on Monday, September 7th. The Monday afternoon session is where you want to be. The swell is 4ft coming from the SW with a 12-second period, and the combined energy is moderate at 309. The wind is glassy calm, so it’ll be clean as a whistle. This is the best on offer for the whole outlook—a proper little window of fun waves with no wind chop. The water temp is sitting around 82°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit.

Tuesday the 8th sees the swell push up to 5ft, WSW, and the combined energy climbs to 537, which is moderate to strong. But don’t get too excited—the wind switches to a light cross-on and cross-shore, making the conditions marginal and a bit bumpy. It’s surfable if you’re desperate but not a standout.

Then we hit a big dry spell. From Wednesday the 9th right through to Sunday the 13th, the swell drops to under 2ft, with periods all over the shop and mostly poor surf conditions. The combined energy plummets to weak numbers, sometimes as low as 24. You’re looking at glassy water but barely a ripple to ride. This gap lasts a solid 5 to 6 days of nothing worth paddling out for.

Things barely flicker back to life around Monday the 14th through to Wednesday the 16th. The swell is tiny, around 1.0ft to 1ft, but there are some long-period groundswell pulses (20 seconds plus) coming from the SW. The combined energy nudges up to 106 or 113 on a couple of those mornings, which is moderate but weak in terms of height. The winds are calm and glassy, so if you have a log and low expectations, the early morning on Tuesday the 15th or Wednesday the 16th might give you a few ankle-biters. Crowds are possible here at times, but with waves this small, it’s unlikely to be packed.

From Thursday the 17th all the way to the end of the outlook on Monday the 21st, the swell stays below 1ft and energy readings drop back into the weak 20s to 60s. Poor conditions dominate, and there’s just no reason to get worked up. It’s a real flat spell to close things out.

In short: the one true standout is Monday afternoon, September 7th at Kawaihae Breakwater—clean, glassy, 4ft SW swell with moderate energy. After that, it’s a long, quiet stretch with a couple of barely-there windows for the patient.

Stay tuned, forecasts can always shift.

Rusty.

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