Pakala
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
54Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Mon 2 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 464kJ
- Wind
- ESE 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- ESE 2 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 88kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 58 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 167kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 186kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 133kJ
- Wind
- S 1 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 62 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 250kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 176, good
- Mon 252, fair
- Tue 353, fair
- Wed 427, too small
- Thu 558, fair
- Fri 654, fair
- Sat 755, fair
- Sun 862, good
- Mon 928, too small
- Tue 1024, too small
The spot in five facts
- Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
- Offshore: NEwind from the land
- Beginner +who it suits
- Works 4–16 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
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 | 76, good | 4 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 609kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 52, fair | 5 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 464kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 2 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, too small | 3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 58, fair | 4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 167kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 54, fair | 5 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 186kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 55, fair | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 133kJ | wind from the south, 1 knot | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 62, good | 4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 250kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, too small | 3 ft8 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 141kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft10 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 57kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore | 23°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 01:08 −0.2 mHigh 09:16 +0.3 mLow 17:09 −0.2 mHigh 22:41 −0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 02:52 −0.1 mHigh 10:22 +0.3 mLow 17:46 −0.2 mHigh 23:58 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:44 −0.1 mHigh 11:23 +0.3 mLow 18:18 −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 and its town
Pakala 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.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Family Housing 14.8 km away
- Polihale State Park 19.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pakala
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (223°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (43°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 900 m out (1 in 88). 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 27°C in July, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Waimea, 3.3 km away (about 10 min by car).
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$1,420–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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to HNL, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | about US$476–US$985 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| 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$1,420–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: 3 towns
6 min by car · 6 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Waimea its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Koloa on Booking.com
34 min by car · 1 place to stay
- Beds in Po Ipu on Booking.com
38 min by car · 55 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 15h 10m
About 15h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 3h 35m by road
Flights ORD → HNL on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.