Staying Home Sucks, home
Hanauma Bay presumed beach vaults
Near China walls, 2 km away. Photo: One Homo Sapiens, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

China walls

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

39Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 56 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 shollow
Energy
133kJ
Wind
NE 20 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 25 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 shollow
Energy
46kJ
Wind
ENE 17 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 23 out of 100

Swell
1 ft13 shollow
Energy
55kJ
Wind
ENE 19 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 41 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
111kJ
Wind
ENE 21 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 33 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
72kJ
Wind
ENE 17 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
84kJ
Wind
ENE 17 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 38 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
75kJ
Wind
ENE 16 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 182, good
  2. Mon 256, fair
  3. Tue 325, too small
  4. Wed 423, too small
  5. Thu 541, too small
  6. Fri 633, too small
  7. Sat 737, too small
  8. Sun 838, too small
  9. Mon 942, too small
  10. Tue 1049, fair

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–12 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at China walls, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov82, good4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)240kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 2Nov56, fair3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the north-east, 20 knots, offshore25°C
Tue 3Nov25, too small2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.)46kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore26°C
Wed 4Nov23, too small1 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)55kJwind from the east-north-east, 19 knots, offshore26°C
Thu 5Nov41, too small2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.)111kJwind from the east-north-east, 21 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov33, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)72kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov37, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots, offshore25°C
Sun 8Nov38, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)75kJwind from the east-north-east, 16 knots, offshore25°C
Mon 9Nov42, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)99kJwind from the east-north-east, 16 knots, offshore25°C
Tue 10Nov49, fair2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.)87kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore25°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

  • Sun 1 NovLow 00:40 −0.2 mHigh 08:56 +0.3 mLow 16:54 −0.2 mHigh 22:14 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:29 −0.1 mHigh 10:04 +0.3 mLow 17:30 −0.2 mHigh 23:39 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:26 −0.1 mHigh 11:06 +0.3 mLow 18:02 −0.2 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 intermediates: 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 China walls

2015-365-74 SPRAY!
Photo: cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About China walls

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

The spot faces SW (205°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (25°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–12 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 26). 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 Waimanalo, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 4 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$2,470 each

about US$1,330–US$2,470 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 HNL, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$476–US$985
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$60–US$100
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$2,470

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

Waimanalo

16 min by car · 3 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 3 places to stay in Waimanalo · Booking.com

About Waimanalo 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 20m

About 12h 20m door to door from Chicago

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

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