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TREND REPORT

Hawaii Water Quality — May 22, 2026

Maui water quality is worsening (-29pp in 14 days)

By Safe to Swim Hawaii Team · Published May 22, 2026
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BIG ISLAND
Still under advisory (0% clean)
↓
MAUI
-29pp worsening
→
OʻAHU
Still under advisory (0% clean)
→
KAUAʻI
Still under advisory (0% clean)

Maui ocean water quality worsened 29 percentage points over the last 14 days (100% clean two weeks ago vs. 71% clean now).

For a trip in the next week, prioritize islands with stronger structural protection (dry coasts, reef enclosure, no major streams). See cleanest Hawaiian island and BWA alternatives.

Where the islands stand today

Big Island

still under advisory

Big Island has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). Our 7 tracked beaches happen not to overlap with the DOH advisories driving this signal — the worsening trend is from island-wide or other-area advisory events. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Big Island leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Maui

worsening

Maui is worsening over the last 14 days (-29pp vs. the prior two weeks). 1 of our 6 tracked beaches on the island have active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Maui leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Oʻahu

still under advisory

Oʻahu has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). All 12 of our tracked beaches on the island have had active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is mild — scattered showers possible but unlikely to drive new advisories. See the Oʻahu leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Kauaʻi

still under advisory

Kauaʻi has been persistently under advisory for 28+ days (no recovery window in the data yet). All 6 of our tracked beaches on the island have had active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is dry, which should halt new advisory activity and let the existing advisories begin to clear. See the Kauaʻi leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Cleanest beaches today (last 30 days)
Anaehoʻomalu Bay (A-Bay)
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Hapuna Beach
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Honoliʻi Beach
30/30 days advisory-free
Clean →
Most advisoried beaches today (last 30 days)
Tunnels Beach (Makua)
0/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Lydgate Beach
0/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Kalapaki Beach
0/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
NOAA 7-day forecast, per island tourist coast
  • Kohala Coast, Big Island: dry (max 6% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Maui (Wailea / Kihei): dry (max 5% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Shore O’ahu (Honolulu / Waikiki): mild (max 35% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • Po’ipu, Kaua’i: dry (max 19% chance of rain across next 7 days)

For the always-live per-island outlook, see our Hawaii Water Quality Forecast, which regenerates daily from NOAA + DOH data.

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Live data and deeper context
Hawai’i Water Quality Data Hub — every resource in one place
Hub →
Hawaii Water Quality Forecast — 14-day trend + 7-day NOAA outlook
Live →
Is Hawaii’s Beach Water Getting Cleaner or Dirtier? — YoY DOH data
Trend →
Cleanest Hawaii Beaches Right Now — statewide ranking
Rankings →
Hawaii Citizen Water Testing — 100+ Surfrider BWTF sites
Coverage →
Why Hawaii Water Turns Brown After Rain — stream-mouth data
Data →
Hawaii Sewage Spills Today — live DOH tracker
Live →
Where to Swim During a Brown Water Advisory
Guide →
Brown Water Advisory — live all islands + 72-hour rule
Guide →
Previous report — April 23, 2026
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Methodology: Statistics in this report come from our pipeline's aggregation of Hawaii DOH Clean Water Branch advisory data across 31 tracked beaches (last 14 days compared against the 14 days before). Forecast data from NOAA National Weather Service (api.weather.gov) sampled at each island's primary tourist coast. All numbers accurate as of publication. This report describes water-quality trends and forecast; it is not a swim recommendation. Physical hazards (shore break, rip currents, surf, marine life) are independent of water quality. Always check the individual beach page and local conditions before entering the water.