Waimanalo Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s look at Waimanalo for the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, it’s a tough period. The first ten days are basically a mess, with onshore winds just ruining the surface. There’s plenty of swell coming through, but that ENE wind is the killer. The first real chance we get is on Wednesday morning, July 29th, and even then it’s only just marginal. We’ll see some big energy from the 26th onwards, but the conditions just aren't making it worth paddling out.

Let’s start from the beginning. Friday the 17th through to Tuesday the 22nd of July is a total no-go. We’ve got moderate to fresh breezes blowing straight onshore every day, and the swell is just short-period chop. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate, hanging between 163 and 386 – just messy stuff. Forget it.

Then Wednesday the 23rd of July, we see a little pulse of long-period swell, but it’s tiny at 2 feet with a 12-second period, and it’s cross-onshore. Not worth the drive. That fresh cross-onshore wind is just lumpy.

From Thursday the 24th into the weekend of the 26th, the size starts to build, hitting 6 to 7 ft, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore. The energy gets serious on the 26th, but it’s still a mess. By Sunday afternoon, July 26th, we get a big spike in energy with a 4 ft swell at an 18-second period – that’s a very long period groundswell – but the wind is a strong breeze onshore. The energy reading hits 1344, which is strong, but it’s all for nothing.

Now, Monday the 27th of July sees that long-period swell hang around – 4 ft at 16 seconds from the east, with the wind finally easing back to a fresh breeze onshore. The energy is still high, around 1382. It’s tempting, but the wind direction is just not letting it clean up.

The standout, such as it is, comes on Wednesday morning, July 29th. There’s a 7 ft swell from the east with a 13-second period – that’s a nice, long groundswell. The combined energy is a very strong 1424. The wind is a moderate breeze from the ENE, and it’s finally listed as onshore, but this is the only window with a score that isn't a zero. The wave comment is "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions". Still, if you were to paddle out all week, this is the window. The size is pushing 7 ft, which is getting into the intermediate zone, and the long period means it could be a bit straight on the beach, but the energy is there. The wind is still onshore, so it won’t be glassy, but it’s the best we have.

After that, Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st of July keep moderate energy but the onshore wind sticks around, with swell dropping from 7 ft down to 4 ft. The forecast runs into a small, long-period 2 ft swell on Saturday, August 1st, but again, it’s onshore.

Honestly, this is a tough run for Waimanalo. The swell is there, especially from the 26th onwards, but that constant onshore wind is the spoiler. There’s nothing to get excited about. Keep an eye on it, because forecasts can change, but for now, it’s a wait-and-see.

Rusty.

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