Hakalau, United States
No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Papaikou, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ITO (ITO), 22 km.
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About Hakalau
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.
The spot faces NE (48°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (228°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up, because of a steep sea floor. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very steeply: 10 m deep about 100 m out (1 in 10). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Papaikou, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ITO (ITO), 22 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.
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From Chicago: about 13 h 30 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KOA, direct.
See flights ORD → KOA · SkyscannerAdGetting there. 2 h from the airport to Hakalau.
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Papaikou, 13 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: ITO (ITO), 22 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Hakalau · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Hakalau · GetYourGuideAd
Where it is
Hakalau on Google Maps · Directions
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Forecast
The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 19Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft6 shollow | 298kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 20Oct | 0, too big | 7 ft6 shollow | 322kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 5 knots | 23°C |
| Wed 21Oct | 24, poor | 6 ft6 shollow | 214kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 24°C |
| Thu 22Oct | 50, good | 5 ft6 shollow | 153kJ | offshorewind from the south-south-west, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Fri 23Oct | 56, good | 3 ft7 shollow | 103kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 24Oct | 41, fair | 3 ft6 shollow | 75kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 25Oct | 53, good | 4 ft6 shollow | 87kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 26Oct | 27, too small | 3 ft7 shollow | 62kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 24°C |
| Tue 27Oct | 48, good | 3 ft9 shollow | 106kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates
- Tue 20 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to KOA, then 2h by road. About 13h 30 door to door
- Wed 21 OctSurf Hakalau
Best 14:00 to 17:00 local time: 6 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
- Thu 22 OctSurf Hakalau
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 5 ft at 6 s, offshore wind.
- Fri 23 OctSurf Hakalau
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 3 ft at 7 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
- Sat 24 OctSurf Hakalau
Best 08:00 to 11:00 local time: 3 ft at 6 s, wind 4 kn (6 km/h).
- Sun 25 OctSurf Hakalau
Best 17:00 to 20:00 local time: 4 ft at 6 s, wind 5 kn (8 km/h).
- Mon 26 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to KOA, then 2h by road. About 13h 30 door to door
Rough cost
About £940–£1,790 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.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | £415–£865 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | £115–£190 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £115–£190 |
| Total | £940–£1,790 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
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