Waimea Bay/Pinballs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Waimea Bay/Pinballs. It’s a reef setup that needs size and the right direction, and this forecast is mostly a waiting game. The water’s sitting at 81°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Right now and through the first stretch, there’s just nothing doing. We’re looking at small, short-period swell – mostly under 3ft, with periods of 8 to 9 seconds. The energy is weak, like 112 or 105 on the combined scale. The wind is cross-offshore from the ENE at 9 to 12 mph, so it’s clean, but there’s no push to it. It’s flat and frustrating. This is looking like a solid 4-day gap of nothing, from right now through around the 15th.

Then, on the 15th, there’s a little blip – a 20-second period southwest swell showing up on Tuesday morning, but the height is only 2ft. That's just not enough to get this place going, even with that long period. It’s a tease. The energy jumps a bit to 239, but it’s still functionally flat. That afternoon it drops right back off.

From there, it’s more of the same – small, weak, and confused. A bit of SW and WNW energy around the 16th and 17th, but swell heights stay under 3ft. Periods are in the 16 to 18 second range on the morning of the 16th, but there’s no size. The wind stays cross-offshore, which keeps the surface smooth, but you can’t surf what isn’t there.

We get another little bump around the 25th. Friday morning starts to see some WNW swell – 3ft at 22 seconds, and the combined energy jumps up to 476. That’s a real change. Friday afternoon it pushes a bit more – 3ft at 20 seconds, and energy is up to 602. But the period is long, and the direction is WNW, which is not ideal for this spot. It’s a reef, so long-period groundswell can work, but the size is still pretty small, and the tide might mess with it. It’s marginal – you might get a couple of clean ones if you’re picky, but it’s not firing.

The 26th looks similar – 4ft on Saturday morning, period 17 seconds from the NW, and there’s a bit more energy at 696. There's some rain showers around, but the wind is still cross-offshore at 19 mph. Still, even with that height, the WNW direction and long period mean it’s likely to be a bit closed-out or fat. This is still not a strong call.

By the 27th and 28th, it’s already dropping back down – 3ft then 2ft, energy fading from 351 down to 124. The period is coming down too, 14 then 12 seconds. It’s fading out again.

Honestly, there’s no true standout in this window. The closest thing to a day worth paddling out is the 26th, and even then, it’s a marginal call. For a spot like this, you want solid NW or WNW groundswell with size – we’re just not getting it here. This is a waiting period. If you’re a beginner, you don’t want anything to do with it anyway when it does show size. And for the experts, there just isn’t enough push.

So, save your energy, keep an eye on the 25th and 26th, but don’t get your hopes too high. It looks like a dry spell for the most part.

Rusty

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