Surf Forecasts:
Kihei Cove surf forecast from 20 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 27 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 16s period, SSW swell with 427 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Thursday 20 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 18s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kihei Cove this week:
The surf forecast for Kihei Cove over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 18s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kihei Cove in the next 16 days are 0.9m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 27) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 2.1m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Thu 27th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kihei Cove over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a slow burner, so don’t expect any heroics just yet. We’ve got a lot of small, clean days ahead, but the real window of opportunity shows up late in the game.
Right now, the surf is pretty quiet. The swell’s small, maybe waist-high at best on the better tides at Kihei Cove (South Maui). The water’s sitting at 80°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year. The early part of this stretch is more about getting wet than getting barreled. You’ll see some glassy mornings around the 20th and 21st, but the waves will be weak and a little disorganized. The energy is low, with combined readings mostly in the 170-290 range, just not enough push.
We’ve got a few days where the wind tries to mess things up, but nothing too gnarly. The mornings are your best bet, especially when it’s clean and glassy. Saturday the 22nd has a bit of a bump in period, but it's still just small. The crowds here are a given, it’s a popular spot, so be ready for that.
Then, it starts to build. The 26th sees the energy jump into the 400s, and the swell direction swings around to the south. That’s when the cove starts to show some life. The 27th of August is shaping up to be the standout in this whole stretch. We’ve got a clean 3ft SSW swell but the energy numbers spike hard to 716, which tells me there’s some real power in the water. The winds are light and offshore, so it should be proper clean. This is the one you want to circle on the calendar, a Thursday morning that looks like it could actually deliver some fun, rippable waves.
After that, it backs off again. A few fun ones early on the 28th, but then we slide back into the small stuff. The first week of September looks pretty poor.
We go through a spell of small, weak surf with the energy dropping below 200. The wind starts blowing more from the NE, which is offshore but it’s also inconsistent with the wave direction. The 3rd of September has the wind swinging onshore, and the surf turns to chop. It’s not looking good at all.
Then, right at the tail end, the finder throws us a curveball. The 4th looks dicey early, but by Friday afternoon the wind dies completely, it’s glassy and the swell period jumps to a very long 19 seconds. The energy is back up to 479. That’s a big, clean, long-period groundswell for the cove. It’s a Friday and it’s promising, but it’s a long way out, so take it with a grain of salt.
So, in short: the 27th is your best bet. Don't hold your breath for much else before that. The 4th of September is a potential gem, but that’s a long ways away. For a beginner-friendly reef like this, the bigger days at the end are fine, still small enough for most.
-Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 25°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Mon afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Sun morning, min 24°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | S 18 | SSW 17 | S 18 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
207 | 202 | 278 | 219 | 119 | 261 | 152 | 116 | 152 | 144 | 137 | 100 | 163 | 139 | 127 | 146 | 140 | 165 | 232 | 307 | 301 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | glassy | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | glassy | off | off | off | off | off | glassy | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off | off | cross-off | off | off |
High Tide | 10:59AM0.65m | 10:27PM0.29m | 11:57AM0.68m | 11:47PM0.30m | 12:49PM0.72m | 00:48AM0.31m | 1:33PM0.75m | 1:37AM0.34m | 2:13PM0.77m | 2:20AM0.37m | 2:49PM0.78m | 2:59AM0.40m | 3:22PM0.77m | 3:37AM0.44m | |||||||
Low Tide | 6:46PM0.26m | 3:49AM0.10m | 7:40PM0.22m | 4:52AM0.09m | 8:14PM0.19m | 5:52AM0.08m | 8:41PM0.16m | 6:44AM0.07m | 9:06PM0.14m | 7:31AM0.05m | 9:30PM0.12m | 8:15AM0.05m | 9:53PM0.10m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 6:51 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:50 | — | — | 6:49 | — | — | 6:47 | — | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 |
Feels °C | 31 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 31 | 31 | 26 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 29 | 31 | 32 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 8 | E 7 | SW 16 | SW 16 | E 5 | SW 16 | E 8 | SW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 17 | S 18 |
54 | 40 | 278 | 219 | 46 | 261 | 43 | 116 | 152 | 144 | 137 | 100 | 163 | 139 | 127 | 85 | 140 | 121 | 163 | 307 | 301 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | E 7 | W 11 | SW 16 | S 13 | SSW 15 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | SW 14 | SSW 15 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | S 18 | S 18 | E 8 | SSW 13 |
207 | 202 | 38 | 36 | 119 | 84 | 152 | 37 | 38 | 34 | 54 | 71 | 29 | 28 | 92 | 146 | 82 | 165 | 232 | 40 | 135 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 11 | S 11 | W 10 | S 11 | W 11 | WNW 10 | S 12 | S 12 | S 12 | SSW 16 | S 11 | SSE 13 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | S 19 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 16 |
21 | 21 | 32 | 37 | 55 | 33 | 48 | 46 | 44 | 51 | 22 | 56 | 32 | 61 | 27 | 27 | 66 | 55 | 43 | 42 | 85 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | ENE 7 | E 5 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 6 | E 8 | E 8 | E 8 | E 4 | E 5 |
— | — | 86 | 31 | 64 | 133 | 92 | 301 | 273 | 229 | 214 | 178 | 184 | 237 | 272 | 263 | 289 | 176 | 137 | 13 | 90 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Maui | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Kihei Cove Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Kihei Cove provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kihei Cove can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kihei Cove surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Kihei Cove) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Kihei Cove may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a vacation in Maui? If you are looking for accommodation near Kihei Cove, camping, hotels and condos and appartments in Maui, consider staying in Kihei which is 7 km (4 miles) away. Other places in and around Maui where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Wailuku which is 18 km (11 miles) away, Kahului, Lanai - Lanai and Kaunakakai - Molokai.











