Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, this stretch is a real bummer. We’ve got a long run of messy, choppy conditions that just won't quit, and most of the 16-day window looks pretty ordinary. There’s a big gap of nothing good from late July all the way through the first week of August.

The only spot worth mentioning, and the only one on the board, is Waihee, a reef and point that needs the right direction to work. It’s fairly consistent when things line up, and the ideal swell direction is from the NNE.

So, starting Monday, July 27th, we have some swell pushing in, but the wind kills it. The morning has a 5ft swell from the east with a 14-second period, and moderate wave energy (948). That clean period swell is wasted by a cross-on wind from the NE at 12 mph. By afternoon it gets worse: 6ft, still that long period, energy jumps to (1313), but the wind goes onshore. It’s just ugly.

Tuesday, July 28th, offers the biggest swell of the whole run, with 8ft from the east and a 13-second period. The energy is serious at (2461). That’s a solid groundswell. The morning has a NNE wind at 9 mph, but it’s directly onshore. It’s going to be a big, blown-out wall. This is expert territory at that size, especially for a point break, but the wind has to be better. These waves need a clean face, and they aren’t getting it.

A bit of a tease arrives Wednesday, July 29th. The morning brings a 6ft NE swell, the period drops to 9 seconds, and the energy is moderate (470). The big difference? Wind goes light from the east at just 3 mph, with a cross-shore texture. That’s the closest we get to clean. The afternoon picks up to 6ft from the ENE, period down to 8 seconds, energy at (850), but the wind picks up and introduces some chop.

From Thursday, July 30th, right through to the end of the first week of August, it’s a relentless grind of onshore trade winds. Swell hangs around between 3ft and 7ft, mostly from the east or ENE, with short, weak periods of 6 to 9 seconds. The wave energy stays low to moderate, topping out around (857) on August 1st. The wind is a constant cross-on or onshore breeze at 12 to 19 mph. The setup at Waihee, being a reef and point, would normally handle a swell, but with this much wind every single session is marked as poor. It’s just choppy and lumpy.

A slight change in character appears around August 4th. The swell drops to 5ft, but the period stretches back to 11–12 seconds, suggesting a more refined groundswell. Energy is still moderate at (615) and (534). But again, the wind is still cross-on from the ENE at 12 mph, so it’s another case of a clean swell being ruined by onshore junk. That’s a tough one to swallow.

The final few days, August 7th through the 11th, have swell anywhere from 4ft to 6ft, but it’s all short-period, wind-affected slop with energy levels below 600. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Honestly, there isn't one standout session. The closest thing to a call is Wednesday, July 29th morning, when that 6ft NE swell meets near-calm cross-shore wind. That’s your best chance at something rideable. But with winds turning onshore for nearly everything else, and this being a reef and point exposed to the trades, the outlook is grim. This is a kite surfer’s forecast, not a paddle surfer’s.

Hang in there. It tends not to stay this poor forever, and a forecast can always change. I hope it does.

Rusty

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