Kewalos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next few weeks for that Oahu lineup. It’s a long wait for the good stuff.

The first few days are a bust. Friday the 17th through Monday the 20th, we’ve got a short-period, junk easterly windswell. Wind is cross-off from the ENE at 15-20 mph, so it’s bumpy and the swell’s tiny. Combined energy is in that 300-500 range, but it’s producing poor conditions. Nothing worth paddling out for.

We start to see some life on Tuesday the 21st. A longer S swell rolls in with 14-second periods and energy around 500. It’s still marginal, but the morning offers a glimmer. Still cross-off wind at 15-18 mph, so not clean. Wednesday the 22nd brings a very long period SSW groundswell at 23-24 seconds, but it’s only 1.5-2ft. A lot of water moving, but hardly any wave face.

The first real standout hits Thursday July 23rd and Friday July 24th. The swell fills in from the ENE with periods of 11-12 seconds. Combined energy jumps over 1100 (strong). Swell height is a manageable 4.6ft. Wind is still a cross-off at 18-22 mph, so a bit textured, but the power is real.

But the real highlight is the stretch from Saturday July 25th through Wednesday July 30th. That’s the sweet spot. S and SSW groundswells mixing with E energy, with periods between 14 and 20 seconds. The combined energy readings are huge, climbing from 1400 to over 2400 by Tuesday the 28th (very strong wave energy). Swell heights are mostly 3-5ft, but on the 28th afternoon, it hits 8ft – that’s expert territory. The wind stays a moderate breeze, cross-off from the NE or ENE, keeping the surface clean enough but not glassy. The best of that run looks like Wednesday the 29th morning, with 7.2ft ENE swell at 13 seconds, energy at 1623, and a moderate 12 mph cross-off. That’s solid, clean, and powerful.

For Kewalos (Oahu), it’s a reef break for advanced surfers, and it’s often crowded. That crowd will be there, especially when those big S swells line up. The water’s about average for the time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

Sadly, it fades fast on the 31st and into August. The first of August is back to tiny, poor surf. So your window is the final week of July. Thursday the 23rd is the first call, but the real standouts are Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th for the biggest, most powerful swell of the whole forecast.

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