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Kailua Beach
Kalama. Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kalama

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

19Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 16 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 smushy
Energy
285kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 19 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
175kJ
Wind
ENE 10 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 14 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
175kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 20 out of 100

Swell
6 ft9 smushy
Energy
444kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 21 out of 100

Swell
5 ft8 smushy
Energy
345kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 21 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
192kJ
Wind
NE 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 13 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
201kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
24°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 120, too small
  2. Mon 216, too small
  3. Tue 319, too small
  4. Wed 414, too small
  5. Thu 520, too small
  6. Fri 621, too small
  7. Sat 721, too small
  8. Sun 813, too small
  9. Mon 99, too small
  10. Tue 1019, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Mar–May, Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Kalama, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov20, too small3 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)140kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots25°C
Mon 2Nov16, too small5 ft8 smushy6 ft at break (est.)285kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov19, too small5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots26°C
Wed 4Nov14, too small5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov20, too small6 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.)444kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots26°C
Fri 6Nov21, too small5 ft8 smushy7 ft at break (est.)345kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov21, too small4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)192kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov13, too small4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)201kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots24°C
Mon 9Nov9, too small4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)126kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov19, too small4 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)160kJwind from the east, 10 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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 08:21 +0.3 mLow 16:57 −0.1 mHigh 20:33 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 01:15 −0.1 mHigh 09:28 +0.3 mLow 17:10 −0.2 mHigh 22:52 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:31 −0.1 mHigh 10:23 +0.3 mLow 17:31 −0.2 mHigh 23:50 +0.1 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 experts: 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 Kalama

Kailua Beach Shore
Photo: Daniel Ramirez from Honolulu, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kalama

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

The spot faces NE (66°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (246°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.3 km out (1 in 233). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually March, April, May and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kailua, 1.4 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 3 wind sports spots and 1 mountain bike area.

Water about 26°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$1,310–US$2,450 each

about US$1,310–US$2,450 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$47–US$80
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$1,310–US$2,450

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

Kailua

2 min by car · 15 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 15 places to stay in Kailua · Booking.com

About Kailua 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 → HNL, direct, then 40 min by road

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