Staying Home Sucks, home
Sunset at Kiahuna Beach - Poipu - Kauai - Hawaii
Poipu. Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Poipu

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

43Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 3 ft swell at 10 s, 4 hours of offshore wind, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 40 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
199kJ
Wind
NE 16 kn
Temp
26°C

Tue 3 · 30 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
80kJ
Wind
NE 14 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 33 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
91kJ
Wind
ENE 15 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 56 out of 100

Swell
3 ft10 scrumbling
Energy
196kJ
Wind
NE 13 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 50 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
160kJ
Wind
ENE 13 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 30 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
121kJ
Wind
ENE 15 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 41 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
120kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 173, good
  2. Mon 240, poor
  3. Tue 330, poor
  4. Wed 433, poor
  5. Thu 556, fair
  6. Fri 650, fair
  7. Sat 730, poor
  8. Sun 841, poor
  9. Mon 922, too small
  10. Tue 1030, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 3–13 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Poipu, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov73, good4 ft10 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 2Nov40, poor3 ft11 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)199kJwind from the north-east, 16 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 3Nov30, poor3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)80kJwind from the north-east, 14 knots, offshore25°C
Wed 4Nov33, poor3 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)91kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore26°C
Thu 5Nov56, fair3 ft10 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the north-east, 13 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov50, fair4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)160kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore26°C
Sat 7Nov30, poor3 ft9 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov41, poor4 ft7 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)120kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 9Nov22, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)59kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 10Nov30, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)57kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots, offshore25°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 09:14 +0.3 mLow 17:04 −0.2 mHigh 22:30 −0.0 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:52 −0.1 mHigh 10:20 +0.3 mLow 17:42 −0.2 mHigh 23:50 +0.1 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 04:42 −0.1 mHigh 11:21 +0.3 mLow 18:14 −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 Poipu

Endangered Monk Seal resting on the sand near Poipu Beach, Kauai.
Photo: Olssonf, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Poipu Beach sunset Kauai Hawaii
Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Calcinus seurati-crawling
Photo: Peterwchen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Poipu

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

The spot faces S (195°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (15°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 3–13 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 33). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 Po Ipu, 1.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 7 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$1,420–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 
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
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$1,420–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

Closest

Po Ipu

2 min by car · 55 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 55 places to stay in Po Ipu · Booking.com

About Po Ipu 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 14h 45m

About 14h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 3h 15m by road

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