Waimea Bay, United States

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 39 km.

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About Waimea Bay

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

The spot faces NW (308°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (128°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits expert surfers. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 25). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For expert surfers the best month is usually January, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 39 km. Within 5 km we also list 18 surf spots, 2 wind sports spots and 2 dive sites.

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

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From Chicago: about 12 h 30 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. 1 h from the airport to Waimea Bay.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Kahuku, 11 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), 39 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in Waimea Bay · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in Waimea Bay · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Waimea Bay on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

Waimea Bay 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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Waimea Bay, each day
Day	Scorefor Expert	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	15, too small	5 ft7 smushy	174kJ	wind from the east, 11 knots	27°C
Tue 20Oct	9, too small	3 ft6 smushy	75kJ	wind from the east, 10 knots	27°C
Wed 21Oct	17, too small	4 ft6 smushy	105kJ	wind from the east, 8 knots, offshore	26°C
Thu 22Oct	13, too small	3 ft6 smushy	63kJ	wind from the east, 6 knots, offshore	27°C
Fri 23Oct	10, too small	3 ft7 smushy	60kJ	wind from the east, 5 knots, offshore	28°C
Sat 24Oct	11, too small	2 ft8 scrumbling	74kJ	wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots	27°C
Sun 25Oct	26, too small	3 ft8 scrumbling	150kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 8 knots, offshore	26°C
Mon 26Oct	25, too small	3 ft13 shollow	296kJ	wind from the east, 7 knots, offshore	28°C
Tue 27Oct	35, too small	4 ft12 shollow	390kJ	wind from the east-south-east, 7 knots, offshore	27°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 expert surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Direct flight ORD to HNL, then 1h by road. About 12h 30 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 4 ft at best.
Thu 22 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Fri 23 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Sat 24 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 2 ft at best.
Sun 25 Oct
Rest day
Too small: 3 ft at best.
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Direct flight ORD to HNL, then 1h by road. About 12h 30 door to door

Rough cost

About £895–£1,715 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	£65–£110
Food	7 days eating out	£260–£480
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£115–£190
Total		£895–£1,715

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

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