Pounders, United States

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 35 km.

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

About Pounders

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

The spot faces E (81°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (261°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 133). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 35 km. Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.

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

Save this trip A link to come back to, or to send to the group.

Book the trip

From Chicago: about 12 h 25 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), direct.
See flights ORD → HNL · Skyscanner from about £420 returnAd
Getting there. 55 min from the airport to Pounders.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 35 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Pounders · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Pounders · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Pounders on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

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

Forecast

Pounders does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Pounders, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Sun 18Oct	18, poor	5 ft7 smushy	199kJ	wind from the east, 14 knots	25°C
Mon 19Oct	11, poor	6 ft7 smushy	258kJ	wind from the east, 14 knots	24°C
Tue 20Oct	13, poor	5 ft7 smushy	183kJ	wind from the east, 15 knots	25°C
Wed 21Oct	23, poor	6 ft6 smushy	229kJ	wind from the east, 11 knots	25°C
Thu 22Oct	40, fair	4 ft6 smushy	116kJ	wind from the east, 8 knots	25°C
Fri 23Oct	36, fair	4 ft6 smushy	92kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots	25°C
Sat 24Oct	21, too small	3 ft7 smushy	58kJ	wind from the east, 8 knots	25°C
Sun 25Oct	20, too small	3 ft8 smushy	95kJ	wind from the east, 8 knots	25°C
Mon 26Oct	14, too small	3 ft7 smushy	80kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots	25°C
Tue 27Oct	17, too small	3 ft11 smushy	161kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots	25°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 intermediate surfers. Change dates

Mon 19 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to HNL, then 55 min by road. About 12h 25 door to door
Tue 20 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 15 of 80.
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.
Thu 22 Oct
Surf Pounders
Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 8 kn (16 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf Pounders
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to HNL, then 55 min by road. About 12h 25 door to door

Rough cost

About £890–£1,705 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to HNL, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag	£420–£870
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Taxi	airport and back, shared	£60–£100
Food	7 days eating out	£260–£480
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£115–£190
Total		£890–£1,705

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.