Wailua/Horners Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on offer for the Wailua/Horners stretch over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a grim run for most of it, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a solid block of average to poor conditions that stretches from today, July 20th, all the way through to the morning of Friday, August 4th. That’s a long gap with nothing really worth getting wet for. The onshore wind is relentless, mostly blowing from the ENE and NE at 12 to 19 mph, which is just going to chop everything up. The combined wave energy is moderate, hitting values between 250 and 540, but with that wind, it’s a mess. The swell direction is also coming from the ENE, which isn't ideal for this spot; it wants a north swell to really line up. For most of this period, the waves are between 4 ft and 7 ft, but it’s just poor surf conditions, day in and day out. It’s a real bummer.

The first flicker of something different pops up on Sunday, July 26th. We get a very long-period groundswell from the east, a whopping 16 seconds, and the wave energy jumps up into the strong category, reading 1784 on the morning session. The swell height is sitting around 5 ft to 6 ft. However, remember, this is a reef break. That long-period swell can make things a bit tricky and straight, but it does bring power. The trouble is, the wind is still blowing onshore from the ENE at 12 mph, so it won't be clean. The text says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” so you’d have to pick your moment perfectly, and it’s really one for the advanced crew only. That same long-period energy (15 seconds on Monday morning, 14 seconds on Monday afternoon) sticks around through July 27th, but the wind doesn't let up. It’s just not the combo we want to see.

After that, we start seeing some of those onshore winds back off slightly by July 28th, with just a gentle breeze of 9 mph from the ENE, but the surf energy starts to drop off quickly. We get a couple of days, July 29th and 30th, with some 7 ft swell and a 12-second period, but it’s still mostly onshore wind which means bumpy waves. The combined energy readings are strong (1338) but the quality just isn’t there.

Sadly, the whole run dies a slow death. From July 31st onwards, the swell drops below 4 ft and the energy fades to weak or moderate. By August 1st, the wind goes cross-onshore, and we’re looking at small, choppy waves under 3 ft. The very end of the run, on August 4th, has a bit of life with some 13-second period groundswell and moderate energy (352), but the swell is only 3 ft and the wind is back up to 16 mph onshore. It’s a write-off.

So, the honest truth? The only slightly interesting window is the 26th and 27th of July, with that big, long-period east swell, but the wind spoils it. For a spot that’s already inconsistent and only breaks on a good north swell, this is a pretty dead period. Keep the board in the car, but maybe don’t even take the wax out.

- Rusty

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