Kihei Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me break this down for you in feet and miles per hour.

Looks like Kihei Cove is the only game in town for the next couple of weeks, so we’re looking at a mellow, drawn-out run of small swells here on the south shore. The water’s sitting at a warm 80°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We start off with a bit of a gap. The first surf worth mentioning is from Saturday, August 8th onward, but it’s tiny. Saturday afternoon brings in a little 1-foot SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period. Now, that’s a true groundswell, and because it’s so long-period, it’ll wrap in nice and clean off the reef here. The winds are light offshore from the NE, keeping it glassy. It’s weak though, with energy reading just 235, so don't expect any push. This is strictly a longboard or foiling kind of wave, and perfect for beginners. Crowds are often here, so you’ll have company.

By Sunday morning, August 9th, we get glassy conditions with a touch more size, up to 2 feet from the SW, period still a very long 16 seconds. The combined energy ticks up to 333—still gentle but a bit more life. This is the pick of the first few days. Light offshore breezes and clean conditions make for a lovely, cruisy session.

Monday the 10th keeps the theme going: 2-foot to 2-foot SSW swell, periods hanging in the 15-16 second range. Monday morning is dead flat calm, glassy as a mirror. The energy is moderate now, hitting 284-319. It’s still small, but the quality is high for what’s on offer.

Tuesday the 11th pushes up to 3 feet, but it’s a little less tidy by the afternoon with a cross-offshore wind. Still, the morning is glassy and clean.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are the standouts. We see a proper bump in energy. Swell height hits 3 feet to 4 feet from the south, with periods still holding at 15-18 seconds. That’s a nice long groundswell. The combined energy jumps way up to 879 and 717—that’s moderate to strong energy, and it’ll feel punchier on the reef. Winds are light offshore or clean cross-off, so the surface will be smooth. This is the best window of the whole outlook. For a reef break like Kihei Cove, that long period will wrap in nicely, giving long, lined-up waves. It’s still manageable for intermediates, but that 4 feet on a reef with a long period can have a bit of juice.

The weekend after that, August 15th-16th, gets ugly. A stormy pulse brings 6 feet of messy, short-period windswell from the south on Sunday, but it’s accompanied by strong cross-onshore winds and rain. The energy spikes to 1006, but it’s all blown out and lumpy. That’s a miss for surf.

We get a brief reprieve on Monday the 17th with clean, glassy 3-foot south swell, but then it drops back to tiny, weak 1-foot to 2-foot surf from the 18th onward through to the end of the outlook. The energy falls away to below 250, and conditions become marginal. It’s not worth getting excited about after that.

Bottom line: your best bet is Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th of August. That’s the window with the best combination of size, clean winds, and that lovely long-period groundswell energy. Get on it.

Rusty.

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