Surf Forecasts:
Kua Bay surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 30 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 1ft (0.3m), 16s period, SW swell with 43 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Kua Bay this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Kua Bay in the next 16 days are 0.3m 16s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 30) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be glassy at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 0.9m 6s period and expected on Tuesday (Aug 25) at 5PM.
| Wave Type | Time (HST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Sun 30th Aug) | 1ft (0.3m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Kua Bay over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright, this is Rusty, and I’ve got the lowdown on the next couple of weeks at Kua Bay.
Honestly, mate, it’s going to be a real struggle. We’re looking at a long, drawn-out period of flatness and tiny, weak waves that are barely worth getting the board waxed for. There’s nothing that jumps out as a proper standout, but there is a little window late in the second week that might offer a slight glimmer.
The water’s sitting at 82°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least the wait will be comfortable.
The first real surfable pulse we see is on the morning of Wednesday, August 26th. The swell is a tiny 2ft coming from the NNE with a short period of 5 seconds—that’s barely a ripple. The wind is glassy, which is a positive, but with combined energy of only (26), it’s just not enough to get excited about.
Then it’s back to flat or near-flat conditions for days. You’ll see a few spikes of 0.6ft here and there with long periods, like the Saturday morning of August 29th with a 0.3ft swell from the SW but an 18-second period—that's just not going to break with any energy (12). The combined energies stay in the low teens or single digits.
We skip through a big stretch of zero surf right into the first week of September. The only thing that looks even remotely interesting is late in the game, around Monday, September 7th, into Tuesday, September 8th. On the morning of the 8th, we get 2ft from the west with a 12-second period and combined energy of (80). It’s still small, but the wind is cross-offshore in the afternoon, which will keep it clean. The Tuesday afternoon even gets a "surfable" tag, but the conditions are described as very ordinary. For Kua Bay, this is about as good as it’s going to get during this stretch, but it’s for intermediates at best with that tiny size. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might have a few others waiting for the same nothingburger.
The rest of the second week just fades away back into flatness. There’s no big swell on the horizon, no standout session. This is a period for cleaning the wax off your board and watching the horizon.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Warm (max 29°C on Tue morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Fri night. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 25°C on Fri night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | |||||||||||||||
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) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 5 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | SSW 16 | N 8 | SSW 15 | NNE 5 | W 10 | NNE 5 | SW 18 | NE 6 | NE 6 | W 12 | NNE 7 | SW 15 | SW 15 | W 12 | W 12 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 36 | 33 | 11 | 11 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | on | cross | cross-off | glassy | glassy | cross | cross-on | cross-off | cross | cross-on | glassy | glassy | cross-on | cross-on | glassy | cross-on | cross-off | glassy | glassy | glassy | cross-off |
High Tide | 2:46PM0.78m | 2:51AM0.41m | 3:15PM0.79m | 3:25AM0.47m | 3:42PM0.78m | 4:00AM0.52m | 4:09PM0.75m | 4:36AM0.58m | 4:36PM0.69m | 5:14AM0.62m | 5:03PM0.63m | 5:56AM0.66m | 5:30PM0.55m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 9:39PM0.14m | 8:20AM0.08m | 9:58PM0.11m | 9:00AM0.08m | 10:18PM0.10m | 9:40AM0.10m | 10:39PM0.08m | 10:22AM0.13m | 11:01PM0.07m | 11:07AM0.17m | 11:24PM0.06m | 11:58AM0.22m | 11:50PM0.07m | ||||||||
6:05 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | 6:07 | — | — | |
— | 6:45 | — | — | 6:44 | — | — | 6:43 | — | — | 6:42 | — | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:40 | — | — | 6:39 | — | |
mm | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 29 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 26 |
Feels °C | 32 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 29 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | NE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 5 | SSW 15 | NE 5 | SSW 13 | NNE 5 | NE 5 | NNE 5 | SSW 14 | NNE 6 | SSW 13 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NE 6 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 7 | NNE 8 |
36 | 51 | 17 | 21 | 28 | 17 | 17 | 28 | 9 | 39 | 39 | 34 | 38 | 54 | 39 | 41 | 68 | 62 | 61 | 81 | 103 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | SSW 14 | W 11 | SSW 17 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | NE 4 | NNE 7 | SSW 13 | NE 7 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SW 15 | SW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
29 | 14 | 21 | 9 | 27 | 21 | 24 | 44 | 5 | 9 | 18 | 7 | 16 | 15 | 27 | 25 | 22 | 36 | 33 | 20 | 20 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 12 | SSW 11 | SSW 14 | W 10 | SSW 12 | N 8 | SSW 15 | ENE 6 | W 10 | W 10 | SW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 12 | W 12 | S 12 | W 11 | W 11 | W 12 | W 12 |
25 | 24 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 42 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 12 | 28 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 11 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NNE 5 | — | — | — | NNE 5 | — | NNE 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | — | — | 17 | — | 17 | — | — | — | 15 | — | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 14 | 100 | 14 | 100 | 100 | 14 | 100 | 100 | 14 | 100 | 14 | 96 | 100 | 100 | 4 | 100 | 100 | 20 | 4 | 100 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in Big Island | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in United States | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)
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.











