Waihee Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Waihee over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, the news isn't great for a while, so strap in.

We’re looking at a long, dry spell of poor surf to start. From Thursday the 27th of August all the way through to Monday the 7th of September, it’s pretty much a write-off. The wind is hammering in from the ENE, cross-on all the time, messing up any chance of a clean wave. The swell hangs around the 4ft to 6ft mark, but it’s short-period junk from the ENE, mostly around 6 to 8 seconds, and the combined energy is weak to moderate at best. This is the kind of setup that’s better for a kite than a paddle, honestly. The water temp is sitting at a warm 80°F which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Now, things start to look a little more interesting from Tuesday the 8th of September. We see the swell bumping up a notch, hitting 6ft on Tuesday morning with a bit more energy in the water, and the wind stays cross-on but drops to a gentle breeze. The comment shifts from “poor” to “marginal surf forecast.” It’s still not pretty, but there’s a glimmer.

The real standout window, and the only one worth getting excited about, looks to be Wednesday the 9th of September through to Thursday the 10th. On Wednesday afternoon, the swell jumps to 7ft from the ENE, with a long period of 12 seconds, and a massive combined energy. The wind actually swings to straight onshore, which is still messy, but there’s good energy there. Then Thursday morning is the pick of the bunch. We’ve got a solid 8ft of ENE swell, again with 10 to 12-second periods, and the combined energy is pumping. The wind is a light breeze from the ENE, so it’s still cross-on but much lighter, which should clean things up a bit. This is getting into the meaty range, so it’s more for the experienced crew. Beginners, give this one a miss – over 8ft on Thursday afternoon is expert-only territory.

The optimum swell direction for Waihee is NNE, and we’re getting ENE, so it’s not lining up perfectly, but there’s enough juice there to make it interesting. It’s a reef and point set-up, which is good for holding that long-period swell, keeping things from walling up too straight. It’s a fairly consistent spot, and the crowds are only sometimes an issue, so you might have a bit of space.

To be honest, week two is more of the same cross-on junk, with only that one brief push in the middle to get the blood pumping. The forecast confidence for that stand-out window is pretty solid being just over a week away, but after that, it's looking uncertain.

So, my call: if you've got some time off, mark Wednesday afternoon and Thursday the 10th of September. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Rusty.

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