Wailua/Horners Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this is a grim run for the Wailua/Horners (Kauai) area. The forecast is a long, dry stretch of nothing worth paddling out for. The first real chance of a surfable wave doesn't appear until the morning of Tuesday, 28 July, but even then it's a tough sell. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is spot on average for this time of year, so at least you won't be cold while you're getting frustrated.

The swell kicks off on Tuesday morning, 28 July, with a 7ft east swell, period of 13 seconds. That’s a decent groundswell, and the combined energy is strong at 1808. But the wind is howling from the NNE at 12 mph, blowing cross-on, making it a choppy, messy affair. It’s an advanced reef break, and it’s inconsistent, so you’re waiting around for a set that’s getting chopped up. Crowds are often a problem here too. By afternoon, the wind picks up to 16 mph, and the score is a flat zero. It’s just not on.

Wednesday, 29 July, is a little better, but still not good. Morning swell drops to 7ft from the east, period drops to 11 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 1040. Wind is from the north at 9 mph, still cross-on, still fairly choppy. Afternoon sees a 8ft, 10-second swell from the ENE, energy down to 981, and a light breeze from the north at 6 mph. It’s light cross-on with small wind ripples. It’s still marginal at best. After that, it’s all downhill.

From Thursday, 30 July, all the way through to Wednesday, 12 August, the story is the same: onshore winds, mostly from the ENE, blowing between 9 and 19 mph, with swell sizes ranging from 4ft to 8ft, but with short periods of 7 to 9 seconds. The energy readings are all over the place – from a weak 187 on the 11th of August to a strong 1275 on the 2nd of August – but it doesn’t matter because the wind is ruining everything. The “poor surf conditions” tag is on nearly every single session. The only break in the gloom is a “marginal” call on the afternoon of Monday, 10 August, with a 5ft, 8-second east swell and energy of 575, but it’s still onshore. It’s not worth the drive.

For a spot that’s exposed to the north swell, we’re not getting any of that. The optimum swell is from the north, but we’re getting nothing but east and ENE windswell. This setup is a total write-off for paddle surfing. Honestly, with the strong onshore winds and the short-period, choppy surf, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than for a surfboard. The only standout, if you can call it that, is the Tuesday morning, 28 July, session, but it’s a long way from being good.

Rusty.

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