Waimea Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, Monday morning is looking like a write-off, with a stormy sky, a fresh cross-off breeze blowing 19 mph, and a building 6ft SSW swell. But that’s just the warm-up. By Monday afternoon, it’s game on, but hold your horses—the swell is predicted to jump to 10ft, and the combined energy is hitting 4571 (strong to very strong). For a beginner spot like Waimea Rivermouth, that’s way too much. This is only for the experienced crew, and even then, it’s going to be a handful. The wind is cross-off at 28 mph, so it’ll be raw, but the tide and wind are favorable. Still, I’m calling this one for the chargers only.

Tuesday is a full stop. The wind swings onshore, the swell drops to 6ft with a short 8-second period, and it’s choppy. Nothing doing. Wednesday through Saturday sees the swell fade right out—we’re talking 1ft to 3ft with a long-period SSW groundswell (13-18 seconds). The energy is weak (around 216-489 combined). It’s clean and glassy at times, but honestly, it’s ankle-biters. There’s a tiny window Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning where it’s glassy and 3ft, but you’d be surfing whitewash. Not worth paddling out unless you’re desperate.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. From Monday, September 16th, things start to wake up. The swell picks up slightly to 2ft on Wednesday the 16th, but the wind is light and cross-off, and the wave comment says “very good surf conditions.” The energy is climbing (507-617 combined—moderate). It’s still small, but the quality is there.

The real standout, and I mean the standout of the whole run, is Thursday, September 17th. Morning and afternoon, we’ve got a 6ft E swell with a short 8-second period, but the wind is a clean cross-off at 9 mph, and the energy is solidly moderate at 646-676. This is the pick of the entire forecast. It’s a beach break though, so with that short period and a bit of size, expect some close-outs. But it’ll be clean and punchy. This is the day to call in sick.

After that, Friday and Saturday (Sept 18-19) see the swell holding around 6-7ft E, but the wind picks up to a moderate 12-16 mph cross-off. The energy is up there (788-821), but the wave comment is “marginal” due to questionable tide conditions. It’s still surfable, but it won’t be as clean as Thursday. Sunday the 20th looks better, with a 6-7ft E swell and a lighter 12 mph wind, and the afternoon actually gets a “very good” call with 695 combined energy.

The very end of the run, Monday September 21st through Tuesday the 22nd, looks like a nice little finisher. The swell eases to 4-5ft E, winds go light and glassy, and the energy drops to moderate (318-507). It’s decent, clean, and much more manageable for the average surfer. Not a world-beater, but a solid end to the period.

Water temp is 81°, which is about average for this time of year—no complaints there.

So, if you’re asking me for the one day to score, it’s Thursday, September 17th. Clean, 6ft, cross-off breeze, and moderate energy. Everything else is either too small, too big, or just ordinary. The long-range stuff into the second week has some promise, but I wouldn’t book the time off just yet.

Rusty.

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