Wailua/Horners Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the Wailua/Horners area over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. We're looking at a solid 16-day window, but the first recommendation doesn't come until Wednesday afternoon, July 29th. Even then, it's not great. The pattern is dominated by a persistent onshore wind and a lot of poor surf conditions, with the wind blowing straight onshore from the East and ENE for the vast majority of the period. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong on some days, hitting a peak of 1248 on the 2nd of August, but it's all for nothing when the wind is ruining it.

So, let's break it down. The first sign of anything surfable is on Wednesday afternoon, July 29th. Wailua/Horners is seeing a 6ft northeast swell, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is 714. But the wind is a cross-on from the NNE at 9 mph, and the wave comment calls it marginal. It's a reef break for advanced surfers only, and it's inconsistent, so you might be waiting a while. The water temp is a normal 80° for this time of year.

The next two weeks are a real slog. From Thursday the 30th of July all the way through to Monday the 10th of August, the conditions are just ugly. The wind is relentless, mostly onshore, and the surf is described as "poor surf conditions" on nearly every single session. The swell heights bounce around between 3ft and 8ft, but the wind is just trashing it. The only real standout in terms of size is the 1st and 2nd of August, with an 8ft swell from the east, but it’s accompanied by a fresh breeze onshore at 19 mph. That's expert territory for size, but with that wind, it's a no-go for paddle surfing. It looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After a long, bleak stretch, we finally see a glimmer of hope on Wednesday afternoon, August 12th. That's over two weeks away, so keep that in mind. The forecast shows a 2ft swell from the west with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the south at 6 mph, and the wave comment says "clean". This is the one true standout. The combined energy is only 236, so it's weak, but that clean, glassy surface with a long-period groundswell is a recipe for some clean, lined-up waves. Given it's a reef break, that long period should be a good thing here. It's a tiny swell, but the conditions are right. Expect crowds, as it's often crowded.

For the rest of the window, especially Tuesday the 11th and Thursday the 13th, it's back to small, weak, and onshore. The 11th has a cross-shore wind, but tiny swell, and the 12th morning is cross-shore with a 4ft east swell, but thunderstorms are a risk.

To sum it up: the next two weeks are mostly a write-off. The only real reason to paddle out is Wednesday afternoon, August 12th, for a clean, glassy session on a tiny, long-period groundswell. That's the one to keep an eye on, but it's a long way off and the swell is small. Don't expect much else.

Rusty.

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