Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for a while now. We’ve got a pretty clear picture for Ma'alaea over the next 16 days, but the opening of the window is a bit of a slow burn. The first real session worth paddling out for isn’t until Monday morning, the 20th of July, so you’ve got the rest of Sunday to kick back and watch the horizon.

Alright, let’s get into it. The overall pattern is a mix of small, clean groundswells rolling in from the south, with a few standout windows where the wind drops off completely. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is right around average for this time of year, so no wetsuit needed—just boardies and a good attitude.

The Good Stuff (20th – 21st July)

Monday morning, the 20th, is where it kicks off. The wind goes glassy, with a calm NNW breeze at 3 mph, and we’ve got a 3ft S swell pulsing at 16 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, which means proper energy and shape, especially here at Ma'alaea (a reef break). The combined energy is moderate (394), so there’s some push behind it. The afternoon gets a bit of cross-off wind, but the morning is your window for clean, lined-up waves. This is a standout for the whole outlook.

Then Tuesday morning, the 21st, is even better. The wind is dead calm—0 mph from the WNW—making it glassy as glass. Another 3ft S swell at 14 seconds, with the combined energy climbing to 390. This is a solid morning for an advanced surfer. The wave quality is clean, and the reef will handle that long period nicely. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so get in early.

Midweek Consistency (22nd – 25th July)

From Wednesday the 22nd through to Saturday the 25th, the swell sticks around but shifts slightly more SSW. The mornings are mostly clean with light cross-off breezes. The swell heights hold at 1ft to 3ft, with periods between 18 and 24 seconds. The combined energy jumps a bit—628 on Wednesday afternoon, 631 on Thursday afternoon—which is strong wave energy for those small heights. The wind stays manageable, but the afternoon sessions on Thursday and Friday get a bit of cross-shore chop, so the mornings are the call.

The Second Week (26th July – 3rd August)

The second week starts with a bit of a lull in quality. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th have some marginal conditions—cross-off winds picking up to 12 mph at times, with the swell dropping to 2ft and shorter periods. The energy drops to 298, so it’s weaker. Tuesday the 28th is ordinary, with moderate breezes and poor surf.

But then things get interesting again. Thursday the 30th of July brings a new SW pulse, 2ft at 18 seconds, with glassy mornings and clean conditions. The energy is moderate (274). By Saturday the 1st of August, we’ve got a real gem: the wind goes completely calm from the SSE, glassy all day, with a 2ft to 3ft SSW swell at 17-18 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 501 and 623—strong wave energy. Sunday the 2nd of August is also glassy in the morning, with a 3ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. That’s the biggest swell of the outlook, and with offshore NNW breezes in the afternoon, it’s another standout. The water is still warm, and the waves will be clean and powerful.

The Bottom Line

The best waves on offer are Monday morning, 20th July and Tuesday morning, 21st July for the first week, with glassy conditions and solid groundswell. For the second week, Saturday morning, 1st August and Sunday morning, 2nd August are the standouts—calm winds, bigger swell, and strong energy. Ma'alaea is a reef break, so it handles the long period well, but it’s best for advanced surfers. The gaps between good sessions are a few days here and there, but the consistency is decent enough to keep you checking the cam.

Stay stoked,
Rusty

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