Surf Forecasts:
Kua Bay surf forecast from 22 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 10s period, WNW swell with glassy winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 11AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 12s period, WNW swell with 75 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Sunday 23 Aug, 8AM (local time) - 1.5ft (0.5m), 10s period with WNW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kua Bay this week:
The surf forecast for Kua Bay over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 8AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.5m and 10s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Kua Bay in the next 16 days are 0.5m 12s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be onshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.0m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 2PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 10s |
| Best Surf | 8AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 11AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 1.5ft (0.5m) 12s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kua Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, grab a seat. Rusty here, and I’ll walk you through the Kua Bay forecast. First things first – we’re in for a lean couple of weeks, so don’t expect much. The water is sitting at 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.
We start off pretty flat. The whole opening weekend, Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of August, is offering almost nothing you’d want to paddle out for. Tiny, poor surf conditions with combined swell energy barely reaching 70 (weak). The only glimmer is a little glassy window on Sunday morning with a 2ft swell from the WNW at 11 seconds, but it’s just too small and weak to get excited about.
From Monday the 24th right through to Friday the 4th of September, the story is the same: flat to tiny surf. There are long gaps of several days where there's genuinely nothing rideable. The swell energy stays low – mostly two-digit figures under 100 (weak). You’ll see a few glassy mornings, but with wave heights of 0.3ft to 1ft, it’s not going to get you wet for a reason.
The one potential standout, if we’re being optimistic, is on Saturday the 5th of September. We finally see some size bumping up to 4ft from the NNE. The combined swell energy jumps to 113 (moderate). The catch? The swell period is a very short 5 seconds, which means those waves will be weak and crumbly, lacking any punch. The wind is cross-on at 6 mph, which isn't ideal, and the wave comment says “poor surf conditions,” so don’t get your hopes up. This is more of a "maybe the tide will make it fun for a log" kind of day.
Then on Sunday the 6th of September, the energy spikes again with a 5ft NNE swell and combined energy of 199 (moderate), but again the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s going to be messy. The wind goes cross-shore and light, which is the best wind we’ve seen in a while, but it’s still poor quality.
Honestly, Kua Bay is a tough call across these 16 days. There are no true standouts. If you’re determined, the 5th and 6th of September are the only days with enough size to even consider, but the wave quality is lacking. The rest of the run is flat or barely a ripple.
Rusty out.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 5mm), mostly falling on Sun afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 6mm), mostly falling on Tue afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | |||||||||||||||
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) | SW 15 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | NW 11 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 6 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | N 8 | N 8 | NNE 5 | N 7 | NE 6 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 37 | 57 | 58 | 75 | 44 | 19 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 9 | 35 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross |
High Tide | 12:58PM0.68m | 00:53AM0.29m | 1:40PM0.72m | 1:39AM0.32m | 2:15PM0.76m | 2:16AM0.36m | 2:46PM0.78m | 2:51AM0.41m | 3:15PM0.79m | 3:25AM0.47m | 3:42PM0.78m | 4:00AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.75m | 4:36AM0.58m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:45PM0.21m | 5:58AM0.15m | 9:01PM0.18m | 6:54AM0.12m | 9:20PM0.16m | 7:39AM0.10m | 9:39PM0.14m | 8:20AM0.08m | 9:58PM0.11m | 9:00AM0.08m | 10:18PM0.10m | 9:40AM0.10m | 10:39PM0.08m | ||||||||
 |  |  | |  |  | |  | | | |  | | | | | | | | |  | |
 | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — |
 | — | 6:46 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:45 | — | — | 6:44 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:42 | — |
mm | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | — |
Temp °C | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 33 | 33 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | SSW 14 | NNE 5 | NE 6 | NNE 5 | NNE 4 | NE 5 | NE 5 | N 7 | NE 5 | NNE 7 |
| kJ | 54 | 75 | 35 | 54 | 52 | 43 | 40 | 64 | 32 | 39 | 51 | 21 | 22 | 36 | 15 | 8 | 27 | 11 | 9 | 27 | 9 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WNW 10 | W 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 12 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | N 7 | SSW 13 |
| kJ | 33 | 57 | 58 | 75 | 44 | 19 | 18 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 21 | 28 | 17 | 48 | 44 | 42 | 39 | 9 | 34 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 15 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | WNW 12 | NW 11 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | W 11 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | ENE 6 | N 8 | N 8 | SW 11 | SSW 13 | W 10 |
| kJ | 37 | 63 | 58 | 34 | 21 | 20 | 13 | 5 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 18 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 18 | 8 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | NE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NE 6 |
| kJ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 16 | — | 35 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 30 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 39 | 39 | 97 | 100 | 101 | 14 | 14 | 26 | 14 | 14 | 100 | 20 | 100 | 103 | 19 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Kua Bay Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Kua Bay provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Kua Bay can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Kua Bay 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 (Kua Bay) 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 Kua Bay 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.
Kua Bay is 97 km (60 miles) from Hilo. If you plan a vacation in Big Island, look for hotels and other accommodation in Hilo. Hilo has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
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