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Hawaii Water Quality — July 29, 2026

New advisory posted at Sunset Beach — and what it means for the rest of Oʻahu

By Safe to Swim Hawaii Team · Published July 29, 2026
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BIG ISLAND
Still advisory-free (100% advisory-free)
↓
MAUI
-36pp worsening
↓
OʻAHU
-86pp worsening
↓
KAUAʻI
-43pp worsening

New DOH advisory activity in the last 24 hours affected 1 tracked beach: Sunset Beach. Check the linked beach page for the specific advisory type and live DOH status.

If you have a trip scheduled at an affected beach in the next 72 hours, consider the reef-protected alternatives in our where-to-swim-during-BWA guide. The 72-hour rule applies once the rain stops.

Where the islands stand today

Big Island

still advisory-free

Big Island has been persistently advisory-free — the same baseline as the prior two weeks. 0 of our 7 tracked beaches on the island have 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 Big Island leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Maui

worsening

Maui is worsening over the last 14 days (-36pp 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 wet (peak 57% chance of rain) — expect the pattern to shift toward more advisories. See the Maui leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Oʻahu

worsening

Oʻahu is worsening over the last 14 days (-86pp vs. the prior two weeks). 1 of our 12 tracked beaches on the island have active advisory days in the last 30 days. NOAA's 7-day forecast is wet (peak 68% chance of rain) — expect the pattern to shift toward more advisories. See the Oʻahu leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Kauaʻi

worsening

Kauaʻi is worsening over the last 14 days (-43pp vs. the prior two weeks). Our 6 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 wet (peak 61% chance of rain) — expect the pattern to shift toward more advisories. See the Kauaʻi leaderboard for the beach-by-beach ranking.

Advisory-free leaders today (last 30 days)
Ala Moana Beach Park
30/30 days advisory-free
Advisory-free →
Anaehoʻomalu Bay (A-Bay)
30/30 days advisory-free
Advisory-free →
Anini Beach
30/30 days advisory-free
Advisory-free →
Most advisoried beaches today (last 30 days)
Hanakaʻoʻo Beach Park
25/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Sunset Beach
29/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
Waimea Bay
30/30 days advisory-free
Under advisory →
NOAA 7-day forecast, per island tourist coast
  • Kohala Coast, Big Island: mild (max 20% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Maui (Wailea / Kihei): wet (max 57% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • South Shore O’ahu (Honolulu / Waikiki): wet (max 68% chance of rain across next 7 days)
  • Po’ipu, Kaua’i: wet (max 61% 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
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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.