Staying Home Sucks, home
Makapuu Beach, Waimanalo (503358)
Makapuu Beach. Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Makapuu Beach

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

16Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 15 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
92kJ
Wind
ENE 17 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
126kJ
Wind
ENE 20 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 17 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
175kJ
Wind
ENE 19 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 18 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
133kJ
Wind
ENE 19 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 13 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
93kJ
Wind
ENE 21 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 12 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
161kJ
Wind
ENE 21 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 9 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 smushy
Energy
127kJ
Wind
ENE 20 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 217, poor
  2. Tue 315, poor
  3. Wed 418, poor
  4. Thu 517, poor
  5. Fri 618, poor
  6. Sat 713, poor
  7. Sun 812, too small
  8. Mon 99, too small
  9. Tue 1014, poor

The spot in five facts

  • Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
  • Offshore: SWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Makapuu Beach, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov17, poor4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the east-north-east, 24 knots26°C
Tue 3Nov15, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the east-north-east, 17 knots26°C
Wed 4Nov18, poor4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)126kJwind from the east-north-east, 20 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov17, poor4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)175kJwind from the east-north-east, 19 knots26°C
Fri 6Nov18, poor4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)133kJwind from the east-north-east, 19 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov13, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the east-north-east, 21 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov12, too small3 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)161kJwind from the east-north-east, 21 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov9, too small3 ft10 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)127kJwind from the east-north-east, 20 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov14, poor3 ft9 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)159kJwind from the east, 19 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

  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:08 −0.1 mHigh 09:56 +0.3 mLow 17:27 −0.2 mHigh 23:30 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:09 −0.1 mHigh 10:55 +0.3 mLow 17:54 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:22 +0.1 mLow 05:43 −0.1 mHigh 11:44 +0.2 mLow 18:20 −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 Makapuu Beach

Makapuu Beach
Photo: Raita Futo from Tokyo, Japan, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Makapu'u Beach, HI, USA - panoramio (3)
Photo: hh oldman, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Makapuu Beach

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

The spot faces NE (44°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (224°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Waimanalo, 7.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 2 dive sites.

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$1,330–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

about 15 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.