Ma'alaea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at the next 16 days for the ol' Ma'alaea reef, right here on Maui. Let’s get into it.

The water is sittin’ at a warm 79°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year – feels about normal, no surprises there.

There’s a bit of a slow start, so don’t bother paddling out on Friday the 17th. The morning has a tiny 4ft easterly windswell, but it’s short period, and the combined energy is only 212 – weak, flat, and uninspiring. The afternoon is a total write-off with a strong onshore breeze.

Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are similar – tiny, inconsistent waves around 2ft to 2ft. The wind is glassy or light in the mornings, so the surface will be clean, but you’ll be scratching for a ride. The energy is weak (178-291), just not enough to get excited about.

Now, Monday the 20th is where things start to turn. A pulse of S swell bumps up to 3ft, and the energy climbs to 376. The wind is light offshore (NNW) in the morning, so it’ll be clean. That’s a decent window for a few waves.

The first true standout arrives on Wednesday the 22nd. The morning is dead calm, glassy, and the swell is tiny at 1ft, but the period is a massive 24 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell hitting the reef. The energy is a solid 422. By the afternoon, the swell bumps to 2ft with a 23-second period, but the energy explodes to 675. This is a special kind of setup. The direction is SSW, which is spot-on for Ma'alaea. The wind is a light cross-offshore. This is the best on offer – a real rarity for this spot. Keep in mind, this break is *inconsistent* and only for advanced surfers, so pick your sets carefully.

The rest of the week into the weekend (24th-27th July) keeps a steady supply of 2ft to 3ft S/SSW swell with long periods between 17 and 21 seconds. The energy stays high (500-900+), which is strong. The mornings are generally clean with light winds. Saturday morning the 25th is a beauty, with 3ft, a 20-second period, and a combined energy of 919 – that’s a lot of juice for such a small wave, and the wind is light cross-off. Crowds are *sometimes* an issue here, so you might have some company.

After that, things fade. The last week of July into August sees the swell drop to 1ft-2ft, the periods get shorter (12-16 seconds), and the energy falls away to weak numbers (under 300). The winds stay mostly cross-offshore or glassy, so the surface is okay, but the wave size just isn’t there for a proper session. A few days in a row with nothing worth paddling for.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute standout is Wednesday the 22nd of July. The morning glass-off and the afternoon’s clean, long-period groundswell is a magic window for the skilled surfer. The Saturday morning on the 25th is another solid call. The rest of the time, it’s just small, clean, and average.

- Rusty

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