Is it worth the trip?
9Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 9: 4 ft swell at 6 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (26 km/h)
Tue 3 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 s
- Energy
- 807kJ
- Wind
- ESE 11 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft8 s
- Energy
- 827kJ
- Wind
- E 13 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 s
- Energy
- 409kJ
- Wind
- ESE 14 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 6 out of 100
- Swell
- 5 ft7 s
- Energy
- 265kJ
- Wind
- SE 16 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 7 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 s
- Energy
- 108kJ
- Wind
- ESE 16 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 s
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- ESE 18 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 23 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 s
- Energy
- 110kJ
- Wind
- ESE 14 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 228, poor
- Tue 30, too big
- Wed 40, too big
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 66, poor
- Sat 77, too small
- Sun 811, too small
- Mon 923, poor
- Tue 105, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces Stakes swell from the S
- Offshore: Nwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–8 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Mar5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 28, poor | 3 ft12 s6 ft at break (est.) | 329kJ | wind from the south-east, 14 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 s9 ft at break (est.) | 807kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 11 knots | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft8 s8 ft at break (est.) | 827kJ | wind from the east, 13 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 s6 ft at break (est.) | 409kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 6, poor | 5 ft7 s5 ft at break (est.) | 265kJ | wind from the south-east, 16 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 7, too small | 2 ft12 s4 ft at break (est.) | 108kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 16 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft11 s4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 18 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 23, poor | 4 ft6 s4 ft at break (est.) | 110kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 14 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 5, poor | 5 ft8 s6 ft at break (est.) | 293kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 17 knots | 26°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 NovHigh 01:18 +0.5 mLow 07:44 −0.5 mHigh 14:00 +0.5 mLow 20:04 −0.4 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:21 +0.5 mLow 08:42 −0.5 mHigh 14:57 +0.5 mLow 21:05 −0.4 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 03:19 +0.5 mLow 09:35 −0.5 mHigh 15:50 +0.5 mLow 22:01 −0.5 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.
Best time to go
best in Mar
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr3of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
Special K 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
5 places
- Sales 5.4 km away
- Coconuts 7.5 km away
- Boulders 10.7 km away
- devils island 19.1 km away
- Salani Right 26.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Special K
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (190°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (10°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea is about 28°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in March, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually March, with about 5 good days in 7; in July, August and September, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Si Umu, 9.2 km away (about 20 min by car).
Water about 29°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$1,290–US$2,470 each
about US$1,290–US$2,470 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 APW, estimated from distance and season, changing at HNL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$683–US$1,410 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$100–US$174 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$87–US$141 |
| Total | about US$1,290–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
16 min by car · 3 places to stay
About Si Umu its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Luatuanu U on Booking.com
45 min by car
- Beds in Salani on Booking.com
48 min by car · 2 places to stay
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 22h 40m
About 22h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → APW, changing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), then 50 min by road
Flights ORD → APW on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.