Waimea Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, your local surf reporter, looking at the next couple of weeks for Waimea Rivermouth. Let's get straight into it.

The coming days are building into a nice run of surf, but the standout windows are clear. We've got a mix of short-period windswell and some longer-period groundswell making an appearance. The water temp is sitting at about 80°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year.

The first real action kicks off on the morning of Sunday, August 23rd. Swell bumps up to a solid 5ft from the east with a short 7-second period. It's not the best shape, but the cross-offshore winds from the ENE at 6 mph will keep things clean. The combined energy is moderate (362). This carries through Monday and Tuesday morning, with the swell peaking at 6ft from the east on Tuesday morning, August 25th. That's getting into expert territory for the less experienced. The combined energy climbs to a strong 511. Tuesday afternoon holds at 7ft with a 604 energy reading. The consistent east windswell with clean conditions makes this a strong call.

Then things shift. Wednesday afternoon, August 26th, sees a long-period groundswell arrive. We're talking 2ft from the south with a period of 18 seconds. That's very long, and combined energy hits a powerful 672. This is a classic reef/point break setup, and with the light ENE winds, it's going to be clean and lined up. This is one of the best offerings of the period. The south swell sticks around through Thursday and Friday, holding at 3ft to 3ft with periods of 14 to 17 seconds. The energy stays strong, peaking at 628 on Thursday afternoon. Crowds are listed as "sometimes" for this spot, so it's worth noting you might have some company.

Moving into the first week of September, we see another solid window. The morning of Tuesday, September 1st brings a 2ft south groundswell with a 19-second period. Combined energy is 574. Again, that's very long-period and will be best on the Rivermouth. Wednesday, September 2nd, looks glassy in the morning with a 3ft south swell and a period of 16 seconds. Light variable winds (NE 3 mph, glassy) will make for perfect conditions. The combined energy is 487. That's a clean, long-period groundswell with no wind to mess it up—that's a top pick for the entire forecast.

The later part of the first week sees some trade-offs. Thursday, September 3rd, has some risk of thunderstorms and the wind picks up, but we get another pulse of east swell, 6ft on Thursday afternoon. Combined energy hits 656. It's short-period (7 seconds) and the wind is cross-off, so it's clean, but the shape won't be as good as the long-period groundswell.

By the weekend of September 5th and 6th, the east windswell is still pumping at 4ft to 4ft, with periods of 8 seconds. It's clean and consistent, but nothing groundbreaking. However, the final standout comes on Sunday afternoon, September 6th. A 4ft east swell with an 11-second period and combined energy of 880. That's very strong energy and a decent period, making it a powerful, well-shaped wave with clean conditions.

So to sum it up, the best on offer are the long-period groundswell windows on Wednesday afternoon, August 26th, and the glassy, clean morning of Wednesday, September 2nd. For sheer size and energy, Tuesday morning, August 25th, and Thursday afternoon, September 3rd, are also strong, but they are windswell. Overall, the second week has less clear-cut standouts, but the Sunday afternoon, September 6th, is a promising, long-range call.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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