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Pohoiki. Photo: Travisthurston, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Pohoiki

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

38Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Fri 6: 8 ft swell at 7 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 13 out of 100

Swell
4 ft6 smushy
Energy
93kJ
Wind
NE 12 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 34 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
147kJ
Wind
NNW 11 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 36 out of 100

Swell
7 ft7 smushy
Energy
350kJ
Wind
NE 14 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 60 out of 100

Swell
8 ft7 smushy
Energy
594kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
6 ft7 smushy
Energy
309kJ
Wind
NNE 11 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 32 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
216kJ
Wind
NNE 12 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 13 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
160kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 213, too small
  2. Tue 313, too small
  3. Wed 434, too small
  4. Thu 536, poor
  5. Fri 660, good
  6. Sat 743, poor
  7. Sun 832, too small
  8. Mon 913, too small
  9. Tue 1032, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
  • Offshore: NWwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–9 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr, Sep–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Pohoiki, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov13, too small3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the north-east, 12 knots26°C
Tue 3Nov13, too small4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)93kJwind from the north-east, 12 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov34, too small5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)147kJwind from the north-north-west, 11 knots, offshore25°C
Thu 5Nov36, poor7 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)350kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots25°C
Fri 6Nov60, good8 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.)594kJwind from the north, 9 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov43, poor6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)309kJwind from the north-north-east, 11 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov32, too small5 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)216kJwind from the north-north-east, 12 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov13, too small5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)160kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov32, too small6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.)232kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 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 02:42 −0.2 mHigh 10:02 +0.4 mLow 17:17 −0.3 mHigh 23:20 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:33 −0.1 mHigh 11:08 +0.3 mLow 17:56 −0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:17 +0.2 mLow 05:58 −0.2 mHigh 12:02 +0.3 mLow 18:30 −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.

Map

the spot and its town

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.

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Pohoiki

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

The spot faces SE (144°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (324°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). 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). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hilo.

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$1,410–US$2,610 each

about US$1,410–US$2,610 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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$469–US$978
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
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$1,410–US$2,610

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Hilo

Closest

Hilo

about 1h 10m by car · 13 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 13 places to stay in Hilo · Booking.com

About Hilo its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Hilo, 37 km (about 1h 10m by car)

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 14h

About 14h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 2h 35m by road

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