Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. I’ve been staring at the charts for our little slice of paradise, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough outlook. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window, but there’s a bit of a wait before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

Right now, through the first few days, the trade winds are just howling from the ENE, pinning everything down. It’s messy, it’s choppy, and the wave energy is weak to moderate (sitting between 108 and 318). The swell is tiny – around 3ft to 5ft – with a short, crumbly period of 6 to 8 seconds. It’s just not doing anything for Waihee (Maui). This is a reef and point break that needs a good direction, and the wind is just ruining everything. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no weird surprises there. Don’t even bother looking at it until at least the end of the first week.

We hit a bit of a lull in the middle of the period, with the same story: cross-onshore winds and poor surf. The energy picks up a touch around the 25th and 26th of July, with swell heights bumping up to 5ft, but the wind is still on it or cross-on, and the wave comment is still "poor surf conditions." It’s frustrating.

Now, here’s the one glimmer of hope. Late in the run, on the 27th and 28th of July, we finally see some serious energy. The combined energy rockets up into the 500s and 600s, which is strong wave energy. The swell is still around 5ft to 4ft, but the period stretches out. On the morning of the 27th, we get a brief pulse of 3ft swell with a 14-second period, and then on the 28th, we get a 5ft to 4ft swell with a long 13 to 12-second period. That’s proper groundswell. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is still cross-onshore from the ENE. The direction is wrong for Waihee, which likes it from the NNE. It’s a cruel tease. The long period and cross-shore chop will make it a real battle out there, more of a kite-surfing session than a clean paddle. For a surfer, it’s still "poor surf conditions."

This is a long-range promise, so keep your expectations in check. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. For now, save your energy. The forecast can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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