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Big Beach, United States

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

Also within 20 km of Wailea

  • Wailea Kite spot · 0.3 km from Wailea
  • Makena Surf spot · 4.6 km from Wailea
  • Kihei Cove Surf spot · 4.7 km from Wailea
  • Little beach Surf spot · 6.2 km from Wailea
  • Makena Kite spot · 6.4 km from Wailea
  • Shark Condos Dive site · 8.3 km from Wailea
  • Dumps Surf spot · 8.4 km from Wailea
  • Enenue Dive site · 8.4 km from Wailea

All 18 on Wailea's map

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

Makena Big Beach, sand churned in breaking wave - panoramio
Big Beach. Photo: nick hoke, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Big Beach

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

The spot faces SW (237°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (57°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 5–20 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 34). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 Wailea, 6.2 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 3 dive sites.

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 12 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

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

    See flights ORD → OGG · Skyscanner from about £415 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 50 min from the airport to Big Beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in WaileaAd

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

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

    See all places to stay 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.

    Surf lessons in Wailea · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Wailea · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Big Beach on Google Maps · Directions

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

Big Beach does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for experts, so you can see what it does.

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

DayScoreExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct164 ft6 smushy99kJ27°C
Mon 19Oct215 ft6 smushy148kJ26°C
Tue 20Oct185 ft6 smushy146kJ25°C
Wed 21Oct195 ft5 smushy122kJ26°C
Thu 22Oct133 ft5 smushy60kJ27°C
Fri 23Oct102 ft6 smushy31kJ27°C
Sat 24Oct162 ft11 scrumbling125kJ27°C
Sun 25Oct163 ft12 scrumbling185kJ26°C
Mon 26Oct223 ft12 scrumbling216kJ25°C
Tue 27Oct243 ft12 scrumbling241kJ26°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 OGG, then 50 min by road. About 12h 15 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 21 of 80.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Nothing worth paddling out for: the best window scores 24 of 80.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 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 OGG, then 50 min by road. About 12h 15 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Wailea each day: Big Beach, Dumps, Little beach, Makena.

The trip from Wailea, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,145–£2,135 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to OGG, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag£415–£860
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£50–£85
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£1,145–£2,135

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

Places to eat near Wailea

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

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

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.