Wailua/Horners Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at the outlook for Wailua/Horners.

Well, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The good news is, there’s always swell around, but the wind and conditions are gonna fight you every step of the way. The water temp is sitting right around 80°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

The first real chance of anything resembling a session won’t come until Wednesday the 29th of July. That afternoon, the swell starts to get some size, hitting around 13ft from the ENE. The combined energy is strong at 2866, so there’s plenty of power in the water. But the wind is a cross-shore, which helps clean it up a bit compared to the onshore we’ve been dealing with. The report calls it “marginal surf,” but for this spot, that’s the best you’re going to get for a while. The period is a short 10 seconds, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy and less organized. This is for advanced surfers only—13ft is big, raw, and not for the faint of heart.

For the rest of the first week and into the second, it’s a lot of onshore wind. The swell is mostly in the 5ft to 7ft range, with short periods between 7 and 8 seconds, and the combined energy sits between 414 and 660. That’s moderate wave energy but the quality is poor. The wind is hammering it from the ENE, making it messy and choppy.

There’s a bit of a strange spike on Sunday the 2nd of August, where the swell drops to 4ft but the period jumps to 17 seconds, giving a combined energy of 994. That’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s coming in from the ENE, and the wind is still onshore. The break is a reef, so that long period could wrap in nicely, but the onshore wind is going to ruin the surface. It’s a tease.

Later on, from the 4th through the 7th of August, the conditions start to show a faint glimmer. The swell is around 6ft to 7ft, with periods ranging from 11 to 14 seconds, and the combined energy stays in the moderate range (700 to 1400). The wind starts to ease, with some light and gentle breezes from the ENE and E. The forecast calls it “marginal surf,” but it’s the cleanest it’s going to get. The break is inconsistent, so you’ll be waiting for sets, and it can get crowded often. The optimum swell direction for this spot is north, but we’re getting mostly ENE and E, so it’s not perfect.

For the very end of the run, on the 8th of August, the swell drops to 5ft with a short 8-second period, and the combined energy is weak at 296 to 335. The wind is light cross-shore, so it’s small and clean, but not worth the paddle out there.

Honestly, the standout in this whole 16-day window is the Wednesday afternoon, the 29th of July. It’s the biggest and most powerful, and the cross-shore wind is the best you’ll see. But don’t expect perfection. It’s a raw, powerful, and messy day for experts only. If that’s your thing, you’ll know what to do.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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