Kawaihae Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag for Kawaihae Breakwater. We’ve got a small window of clean, fun waves early on, but then it fades into a long stretch of flatness and poor conditions. The good news is that when it’s on, it’s really on.

Let’s start with the standout. The best surfing on offer is Tuesday, July 14th, through to Thursday, July 16th. We’ve got a sweet little pulse of swell from the west, building from 2ft to 3ft. The real kicker is the wind – it goes glassy calm, especially on Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning and afternoon, and Thursday morning. That’s going to mean silky clean, smooth faces at this reef break. The combined wave energy is moderate, hitting 301 to 353 (moderate energy), and the swell period is a nice long 15 to 16 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell, meaning well-shaped, juicy waves with good gaps between sets. The water temp is 80°, which is about 1° warmer than normal, so it’s nice and warm for the time of year. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so keep that in mind.

Monday, July 13th, is a bit of a warm-up – we’ve got 1ft of swell from the southwest, but it’s a bit on the weaker side with combined energy of just 104 (weak energy). Wind is offshore from the NE at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but the waves are small and ordinary. Not worth rushing out for.

After Thursday, things start to drop off. Friday, July 17th, has 2ft to 2ft of west swell, but the energy drops to 146 to 228 (weak to moderate), and the wind shifts to a light offshore, so it’s still clean, but the waves are getting smaller and less punchy. Saturday, July 18th, drops further to 2ft, and by Sunday, July 19th, we’re down to 1ft with combined energy of just 29 to 30 (weak energy). That’s when the poor conditions kick in and the surf quality really falls off.

From Monday, July 20th, all the way through to Tuesday, July 28th, it’s mostly flat or tiny – 0.3ft to 0.7ft at best. The combined energy is mostly below 50 (weak energy), and the swell direction swings around to the SSW, which isn’t ideal for this break. There are long gaps of several days here with no real surf to recommend. The wind is often glassy or light offshore, but with no swell, it’s just a flat ocean. A few days around July 23rd have a bit of a long-period pulse (21 seconds), but the swell height is only 0.7ft, so it’s not going to do anything for you.

Honestly, if you’ve got a kite, the conditions from July 20th onward might be more interesting for you than for a paddle surfer, but for a wave, it’s a no-go.

So, the call is: hit it from Tuesday, July 14th, through Thursday, July 16th, while the glassy conditions and waist-high west swell are lining up. After that, it’s a long wait for something to turn around. Forecasts can change though, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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