Staying Home Sucks, home
Sailing along the Napali Coast Kauai, Hawaii - panoramio (21)
Family Housing. Photo: Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Family Housing

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

51Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Sun 8: 5 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 0 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
410kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Tue 3 · 62 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 ssoft
Energy
314kJ
Wind
E 0 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 32 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
136kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 59 out of 100

Swell
5 ft13 scrumbling
Energy
870kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 55 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
238kJ
Wind
N 5 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
164kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 64 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
349kJ
Wind
W 3 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 173, good
  2. Mon 20, too big
  3. Tue 362, good
  4. Wed 432, too small
  5. Thu 559, fair
  6. Fri 655, fair
  7. Sat 727, too small
  8. Sun 864, good
  9. Mon 945, fair
  10. Tue 1057, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best in Sep3 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Family Housing, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov73, good4 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)713kJwind from the north-east, 12 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 2Nov0, too big6 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)410kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots26°C
Tue 3Nov62, good4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)314kJwind from the east, 0 knots, offshore25°C
Wed 4Nov32, too small3 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)136kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov59, fair5 ft13 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)870kJwind from the west, 3 knots26°C
Fri 6Nov55, fair4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)238kJwind from the north, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov27, too small3 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)164kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov64, good5 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)349kJwind from the west, 3 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov45, fair4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)215kJwind from the west, 4 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov57, fair4 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)224kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot24°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 00:37 −0.2 mHigh 09:16 +0.3 mLow 17:29 −0.2 mHigh 22:48 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:26 −0.1 mHigh 10:17 +0.3 mLow 17:52 −0.2 mHigh 23:58 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:24 −0.1 mHigh 11:12 +0.2 mLow 18:15 −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 Family Housing

Na Pali Coast Spinner dolphins Kauai, Hawaii
Near Family Housing. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

2 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Family Housing

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

The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 450 m out (1 in 47). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in February, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually September, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Waimea.

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$1,420–US$2,620 each

about US$1,420–US$2,620 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,420–US$2,620

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Waimea

21 min by car · 6 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 6 places to stay in Waimea · Booking.com

About Waimea its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Waimea, 12 km (about 25 min by car)

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 15h 25m

About 15h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 3h 50m by road

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