Wailua/Horners Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Yo, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the stretch ahead for Wailua/Horners. This is a reef break that’s inconsistent and usually has a crowd around, so you gotta pick your moment. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

Right now, the outlook is pretty grim. The first few days are a write-off. Friday 17th July kicks off with a tiny 2ft W swell (14s period) but it’s onshore and messy – combined energy is only 244, so weak. No go. That pattern sticks through the weekend and into the start of the next week. Swell hovers around 4ft to 5ft, but it’s short-period windswell (7-8 seconds) and the wind is blowing straight on from the east or east-northeast at 12-15 mph. The wave comment says “poor surf conditions” and the score is zero. Not worth paddling out.

Monday 20th July through Wednesday 22nd July stays flat and weak. The combined energy drops to 150-206, still onshore, still poor. On Wednesday 22nd there’s a tiny 2ft E swell with a 14s period, but no energy behind it (137) and it’s blown out. Thursday 23rd is the same story – light rain, onshore, 2ft at 12 seconds, energy 251. Nothing doing.

Now, Friday 24th July sees a bump: 6ft E swell at 7 seconds, but still onshore wind at 12 mph. The energy climbs to 309, but it’s short-period and messy. Saturday 25th gets a bit more interesting: 6ft ENE swell (7s) in the morning, 6ft (8s) in the afternoon, combined energy jumping to 515-583. But the wind is still onshore at 15 mph. That’s a lot of chop for a reef break that likes it clean. It’s not a standout.

The real talk comes at the end of the month. Wednesday 29th July morning is the best window I can see. You’ve got a 8ft ENE swell with a 13-second period – that’s proper groundswell, long period, good energy. Combined energy is a massive 3442, so there’s plenty of power. The wind is light from the ENE at 9 mph, so it’s clean and offshore. The wave comment says “marginal,” but with that size and period, it’s a solid session for advanced surfers. The swell direction is ENE, which is close to the optimum N direction, so it should wrap in decent. Just be aware that long period swells can make reef breaks like this wall up a bit, but that’s fine for the crew that knows the lineup.

The rest of that week stays big – 7ft to 7ft with 12-13s periods, but the wind starts to get a bit cross-onshore later in the week. Thursday 30th July afternoon is still clean but the energy drops a bit. By Friday 31st July, the wind picks up and the swell drops to 6ft, and it’s raining. The first of August sees tiny 2ft swell again.

So to sum it up: the first two weeks are a bust. The only real standout is Wednesday 29th July morning – that’s the one to circle. Big, clean, long-period groundswell with light offshore breeze. The rest of the run is onshore slop or too small. If you’re an advanced surfer, that Wednesday is your window. Crowds will be there, but it’s worth it.

Rusty.

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