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Kua Bay, United States

Stay in Kailua-Kona: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Kailua-Kona

  • Kona Inn Surf spot · 0.6 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Kona Kite spot · 0.8 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Turtle Pinnacle Dive site · 1.5 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Honls Surf spot · 1.8 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Kona Tiki Surf spot · 2.3 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Suck Em Up Dive site · 2.3 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Honokohau Harbor Dive site · 4.2 km from Kailua-Kona
  • Banyons Surf spot · 4.4 km from Kailua-Kona

All 17 on Kailua-Kona's map

Watch this spot We email you when Kua Bay is worth the trip.

Kona Mauka
Kailua-Kona, the nearest town, 19 km away. Photo: Travisthurston, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Kua Bay

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces NW (310°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (130°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 21). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Kailua-Kona. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.

Water about 27°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 11 h 55 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KOA, direct.

    See flights ORD → KOA · Skyscanner from about £415 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Kua Bay.

  3. Accommodation.

    Nearest beds: Kailua-Kona, 19 km (about 35 min by car)Ad

    No town with beds to book is nearer Kua Bay: plan on the drive each day you surf.

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay in Kailua-Kona, 19 km away (ad) on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Kua Bay, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct16, too small3 ft5 smushy52kJwind from the east-south-east, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Mon 19Oct17, too small3 ft5 smushy62kJwind from the south-south-west, 3 knots26°C
Tue 20Oct17, too small3 ft5 smushy53kJwind from the south, 3 knots26°C
Wed 21Oct12, too small3 ft5 smushy36kJwind from the south, 6 knots, offshore26°C
Thu 22Oct10, too small2 ft7 smushy37kJwind from the east, 1 knot, offshore26°C
Fri 23Oct12, too small2 ft11 shollow105kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots27°C
Sat 24Oct14, too small2 ft11 shollow142kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots27°C
Sun 25Oct15, too small3 ft12 shollow201kJwind from the south, 3 knots27°C
Mon 26Oct18, too small3 ft12 shollow233kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore27°C
Tue 27Oct15, too small3 ft11 shollow247kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots27°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to KOA, then 30 min by road. About 11h 55 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 2 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to KOA, then 30 min by road. About 11h 55 door to door

The trip from Kailua-Kona, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,110–£2,080 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£415–£865
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£270–£455
Food7 days eating out£260–£480
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£115–£190
Total£1,110–£2,080

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Kailua-Kona

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

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