Staying Home Sucks, home
Waianae High School
Waianae, the nearest town. Photo: InSapphoWeTrust from Los Angeles, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Rec. Center - Pokai Bay

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

52Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 7 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 · 76 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
1,019kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
26°C

Tue 3 · 48 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
472kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 11 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 scrumbling
Energy
67kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 68 out of 100

Swell
6 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,124kJ
Wind
ENE 9 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 42 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
495kJ
Wind
ENE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
84kJ
Wind
NE 7 kn
Temp
26°C

Sun 8 · 47 out of 100

Swell
5 ft11 ssoft
Energy
474kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 151, fair
  2. Mon 276, good
  3. Tue 348, fair
  4. Wed 411, too small
  5. Thu 568, good
  6. Fri 642, too small
  7. Sat 715, too small
  8. Sun 847, fair
  9. Mon 919, too small
  10. Tue 1032, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Beginner +who it suits
  • Works 4–15 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for expert surfers at Rec. Center - Pokai Bay, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov51, fair5 ft15 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)1,058kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore27°C
Mon 2Nov76, good7 ft10 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,019kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 3Nov48, fair5 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)472kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov11, too small1 ft15 scrumbling2 ft at break (est.)67kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov68, good6 ft13 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)1,124kJwind from the east-north-east, 9 knots, offshore26°C
Fri 6Nov42, too small5 ft11 ssoft2 ft at break (est.)495kJwind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Sat 7Nov15, too small2 ft12 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)84kJwind from the north-east, 7 knots, offshore26°C
Sun 8Nov47, fair5 ft11 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)474kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 9Nov19, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)229kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore26°C
Tue 10Nov32, too small4 ft9 ssoftunder 1 ft at break (est.)250kJwind from the east, 6 knots, offshore26°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 00:22 −0.1 mHigh 09:07 +0.3 mLow 17:22 −0.2 mHigh 23:20 −0.1 m
  • Mon 2 NovLow 02:31 −0.1 mHigh 10:12 +0.3 mLow 17:50 −0.2 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:15 +0.0 mLow 04:40 −0.1 mHigh 11:12 +0.2 mLow 18:16 −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

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 Rec. Center - Pokai Bay

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

The spot faces SW (244°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (64°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–15 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 800 m out (1 in 78). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in September, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Waianae, 0.2 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 1 dive site.

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$1,340–US$2,490 each

about US$1,340–US$2,490 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$74–US$121
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$1,340–US$2,490

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

Waianae

1 min by car · 2 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 2 places to stay in Waianae · Booking.com

About Waianae 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 25m

About 12h 25m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 50 min by road

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