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Kona Tiki
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
31Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: too small (2 ft swell at 12 s)
Tue 3 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft9 shollow
- Energy
- 75kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Wed 4 · 21 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 68kJ
- Wind
- SW 1 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 32 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 100kJ
- Wind
- NW 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 29 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 80kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 35 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 91kJ
- Wind
- SSW 3 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 34 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft10 shollow
- Energy
- 72kJ
- Wind
- WSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 48kJ
- Wind
- WNW 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 248, fair
- Tue 331, too small
- Wed 422, too small
- Thu 533, too small
- Fri 632, too small
- Sat 735, too small
- Sun 829, too small
- Mon 921, too small
- Tue 1020, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–10 ftof swell
- Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Jan4 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Kona Tiki does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | wind from the south-west, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft9 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 75kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 22, too small | 1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 68kJ | wind from the south-west, 1 knot | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 100kJ | wind from the north-west, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 80kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 91kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, too small | 2 ft10 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 72kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 2 knots | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 21, too small | 1 ft12 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 20, too small | 1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 25°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 03:12 −0.1 mHigh 10:26 +0.3 mLow 17:44 −0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 00:01 +0.1 mLow 05:07 −0.1 mHigh 11:35 +0.3 mLow 18:24 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:54 +0.2 mLow 06:36 −0.1 mHigh 12:34 +0.2 mLow 18:58 −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.
Best time to go
best in Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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, its town, photos
Kona Tiki on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Kona Tiki
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About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Kona Tiki
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (236°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (56°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in October, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kailua-Kona, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot, 3 dive sites and 1 kayak spot.
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$1,290–US$2,410 each
about US$1,290–US$2,410 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$469–US$978 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$27–US$47 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,290–US$2,410 |
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
4 min by car · 45 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Kailua-Kona its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Napo Opo O on Booking.com
32 min by car · 5 places to stay
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
About 12h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights ORD → KOA on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.