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Waikokos, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Hanalei

All 11 on Hanalei's map

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

Hanalei, Kauai HI
Hanalei, the nearest town, 3 km away. Photo: Caracas1830, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons

About Waikokos

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

The spot faces N (12°), so it takes swell from the N. The wind blows offshore from the S (192°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 300 m out (1 in 28). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 May, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hanalei, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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

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From Chicago: about 15 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), direct.

    See flights ORD → HNL · Skyscanner from about £420 returnAd
  2. Getting there. 3 h 40 from the airport to Waikokos.

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in HanaleiAd

    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 Hanalei (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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Forecast

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Waikokos, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct11, too small4 ft7 smushy196kJwind from the east, 16 knots25°C
Mon 19Oct11, too small5 ft7 smushy179kJwind from the east, 16 knots24°C
Tue 20Oct15, too small5 ft7 smushy186kJwind from the east, 16 knots24°C
Wed 21Oct26, too small6 ft6 smushy213kJwind from the east-south-east, 11 knots25°C
Thu 22Oct17, too small5 ft6 smushy130kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots25°C
Fri 23Oct11, too small3 ft6 smushy75kJwind from the east-south-east, 6 knots26°C
Sat 24Oct7, too small2 ft7 smushy50kJwind from the east, 8 knots25°C
Sun 25Oct21, too small4 ft8 smushy154kJwind from the east, 10 knots25°C
Mon 26Oct14, too small3 ft7 smushy108kJwind from the east-south-east, 12 knots26°C
Tue 27Oct27, too small4 ft11 scrumbling365kJwind from the east-south-east, 8 knots25°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 HNL, then 3h 40 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Hanalei Bay

    Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 5 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 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 HNL, then 3h 40 by road. About 15h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 7 spots near Hanalei each day: Anini Beach- Wires, Bobo's Haena, Cannons, Hanalei Bay, Pu`u poa, Tunnels, Waikokos.

The trip from Hanalei, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,215–£2,250 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 HNL, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£420–£870
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£115–£190
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£1,215–£2,250

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

Places to eat near Hanalei

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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