Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what we’ve got for Waihee. Honestly, it’s a rough stretch ahead. The whole 16-day window is plagued by persistent cross-onshore winds and messy conditions, with very few windows worth getting excited about. The first real glimmer doesn’t show up until the tail end of the first week, and even then, it’s far from perfect.

The pattern is dominated by easterly trades blowing straight across the swell, keeping things choppy or lumpy for the vast majority of the run. For the first several days from September 1st through to the 4th, it’s pretty much a write-off – poor surf quality across the board, with swell heights around 6 ft to 7 ft but ruined by fresh cross-onshore winds and short, weak 7-8 second periods. The water temp is sitting at 80°, dead on average for this time of year.

Things start to look slightly more interesting around September 5th and 6th. The swell picks up a touch, hitting 7 ft to 7 ft from the ENE, and while the wind remains cross-on, it does ease back to a gentle breeze. The period stretches out to a solid 12-13 seconds, which is proper groundswell. The combined energy jumps into the strong range – the numbers are big and that’s good energy. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook. It’s still not perfect; it’s described as marginal, and the cross-onshore breeze will keep it fairly choppy. But for a reef and point break like Waihee, a longer-period ENE swell can still produce some decent lines, especially if you pick your tide. Crowds can be a thing here sometimes, so don’t expect solitude. This is the standout window – the Saturday and Sunday there’s a chance of a few workable waves, but keep expectations in check.

Beyond that, from September 7th onward, it’s back into the doldrums. The wind stays cross-on, the period drops back, and the quality falls off a cliff. By about September 11th, the swell gets hefty – 8 ft to 10 ft – and the period is short and weak (8 seconds). That’s just junky, closed-out energy for a point and reef setup. On September 12th, it actually gets big – 12 ft to 15 ft with a period of 10 seconds and massive combined energy. That’s expert-only territory, and the cross-onshore wind will make it a battle. Honestly, that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. After that, the swell fades fast, dropping under 3 ft by the 15th, with barely any energy left. The last few days of the run are flat and not worth talking about.

So, to sum it up: there’s one decent window – the morning of September 6th or 7th – where you might find a few cleanish, powerful waves if you’re patient. The rest is a write-off or too messed up by wind. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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