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

Big Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

16Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
62kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
43kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 19 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
124kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Fri 6 · 19 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
280kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
25°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
82kJ
Wind
S 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Sun 8 · 16 out of 100

Swell
4 ft5 smushy
Energy
56kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 10 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
64kJ
Wind
WNW 5 kn
Temp
25°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 218, too small
  2. Tue 311, too small
  3. Wed 49, too small
  4. Thu 519, too small
  5. Fri 619, too small
  6. Sat 715, too small
  7. Sun 816, too small
  8. Mon 910, too small
  9. Tue 1028, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 5–20 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Big Beach, each day
DayScorefor ExpertSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov18, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)110kJwind from the south-west, 1 knot25°C
Tue 3Nov11, too small2 ft10 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)62kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov9, too small1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots25°C
Thu 5Nov19, too small4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)124kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots24°C
Fri 6Nov19, too small6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)280kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots25°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)82kJwind from the south, 3 knots24°C
Sun 8Nov16, too small4 ft5 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)56kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov10, too small2 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)64kJwind from the west-north-west, 5 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov28, too small5 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)168kJwind from the north, 8 knots25°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:57 −0.1 mHigh 10:19 +0.3 mLow 17:36 −0.2 mHigh 23:50 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:47 −0.1 mHigh 11:22 +0.3 mLow 18:12 −0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:42 +0.2 mLow 06:17 −0.1 mHigh 12:17 +0.2 mLow 18:44 −0.3 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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.

Photos of Big Beach

Big Beach, Maui, Hawaii (2017)
Photo: Ekrem Canli, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Hawaii Maui Big Beach
Photo: Dronepicr, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Big Beach - panoramio
Photo: nick hoke, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Big Beach

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are 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.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,330–US$2,460 each

about US$1,330–US$2,460 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to OGG, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$469–US$971
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$67–US$107
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,330–US$2,460

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Wailea

about 15 min by car · 61 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 61 places to stay in Wailea · Booking.com

About Wailea its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 12h 15m

About 12h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → OGG, direct, then 50 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.