Is it worth the trip?
52Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 10 s, 3 hours of offshore wind
Mon 2 · 63 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 325kJ
- Wind
- NNW 11 kn
- Temp
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 352kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Wed 4 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 584kJ
- Wind
- ENE 6 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 900kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 22°C
Fri 6 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 351kJ
- Wind
- NNW 10 kn
- Temp
- 20°C
Sat 7 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 139kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Sun 8 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 16°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 10, too big
- Mon 263, good
- Tue 379, good
- Wed 448, fair
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 632, poor
- Sat 752, fair
- Sun 837, too small
- Mon 939, too small
- Tue 1048, fair
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 24 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr, Nov2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft12 shollow10 ft at break (est.) | 1,384kJ | wind from the north, 2 knots | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 63, good | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 325kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 79, good | 4 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 352kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 48, fair | 6 ft10 shollow8 ft at break (est.) | 584kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 6 knots | 20°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft10 shollow9 ft at break (est.) | 900kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 22°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, poor | 5 ft10 shollow6 ft at break (est.) | 351kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 10 knots, offshore | 20°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft9 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 139kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 39, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 82kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore | 16°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft8 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the west, 4 knots | 16°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 04:06 −0.8 mHigh 11:31 +0.5 mLow 16:55 +0.1 mHigh 21:58 +0.5 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:25 −0.7 mHigh 12:55 +0.5 mLow 18:48 +0.0 mHigh 23:48 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:54 −0.6 mHigh 14:02 +0.6 mLow 20:11 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr, Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Kainokawa on Google Maps · Directions
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.
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kainokawa
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (159°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (339°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 13). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 19°C in February, its coldest month (2 mm shorty), and 28°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April and November, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hiromi.
Water about 24°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$1,320–US$2,520 each
about US$1,320–US$2,520 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HIJ, estimated from distance and season, changing at HKG, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$683–US$1,410 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$107–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$208–US$348 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$234–US$442 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,320–US$2,520 |
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
21 min by car · 1 place to stay
about US$80/nightcountry average
About Hiromi its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Shimoda on Booking.com
46 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Irino on Booking.com
58 min by car · 2 places to stay
Nearest town: Hiromi, 12 km (about 25 min by car)
About US$80 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 30h 15m
About 30h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HIJ, changing at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), then 3h 30m by road
Flights ORD → HIJ on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.