CatchWindow fishing intelligence

Waikiki, HI Daily Water Report — August 28, 2026

Today is an excellent day for surfing and a good one for diving, with the trade winds blowing steadily and a clean south swell running. The bigger picture shows a classic setup: a full moon overhead, water temperatures a degree warmer than average, and a south-swell pulse that should keep Waikiki’s breaks active. The best windows are the early morning for surfers and the late afternoon for divers. The south swell is delivering 1.1 meters at 11.8 seconds from 177 degrees, combining with a small northeast wind chop to produce average wave heights around 1.4 meters. That’s a solid surf day by recent standards, and the scoring reflects it: surfing hits 9.3 out of 10, a tick above yesterday’s 9.2 and consistent with the 9.4 we saw a couple days ago. The wind is out of the northeast at about 9 knots gusting to 22, which is lighter than the 13-knot range of this past weekend. That means less surface texture, especially during the morning hours before the trades pick up. The calmest wave heights will occur near 5:00 p.m., when the average drops to 1.36 meters — a good target for less crowded afternoon sessions. Diving scores an 8.5, matching the previous three days. The oligotrophic chlorophyll reading of 0.07 mg/m³ suggests very clear blue water, which is typical for this time of year and bodes well for visibility, though underwater clarity is never guaranteed by surface conditions alone. The water temperature is 26.8°C, comfortably warm. A caution: the midday wind gust could reach 31 knots, so if you’re heading out on a boat, know that the boating score of 6.6 is the lowest in the top-tier activities. That’s actually an improvement over yesterday’s 4.6, but still a step down from the 8.4 sailing score, which benefits from steady wind. Fishing lands at 7.3, with solunar timing pointing to the midday major period from 11:41 to 1:41 p.m. and another around midnight. The outgoing tide through mid-morning is worth noting for nearshore structure. Looking ahead, tomorrow brings a 78% chance of precipitation and similar wave heights, though the swell fades a bit. By Sunday and Monday, the swell drops into the 0.5-to-0.9-meter range, reducing surf quality. If you want the best of this south swell, today is the day. One memorable best-bet: Slide into the water just after the high tide slack at 4:22 p.m., when the wind settles and the south swell lines up clean over the reef.