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Turtle Bay Oahu, Hawaii
Turtle Bay. Photo: Edmund Garman from Salem, Oregon, USA, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Turtle Bay

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

40Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: 7 ft swell at 13 s, onshore wind, 14 kn (25 km/h), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 35 out of 100

Swell
6 ft10 ssoft
Energy
620kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
26°C

Wed 4 · 16 out of 100

Swell
4 ft7 smushy
Energy
191kJ
Wind
ENE 16 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 55 out of 100

Swell
7 ft13 ssoft
Energy
1,612kJ
Wind
ENE 14 kn
Temp
26°C

Fri 6 · 38 out of 100

Swell
6 ft11 ssoft
Energy
776kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 30 out of 100

Swell
5 ft10 ssoft
Energy
456kJ
Wind
ENE 11 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 46 out of 100

Swell
7 ft10 ssoft
Energy
999kJ
Wind
ENE 13 kn
Temp
25°C

Mon 9 · 37 out of 100

Swell
7 ft9 ssoft
Energy
689kJ
Wind
E 15 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 244, poor
  2. Tue 335, too small
  3. Wed 416, too small
  4. Thu 555, fair
  5. Fri 638, poor
  6. Sat 730, too small
  7. Sun 846, fair
  8. Mon 937, poor
  9. Tue 1032, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces NWtakes swell from the NW
  • Offshore: SEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Sep–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Turtle Bay, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov44, poor8 ft10 ssoft10 ft at break (est.)1,159kJwind from the east-north-east, 15 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov35, too small6 ft10 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)620kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots26°C
Wed 4Nov16, too small4 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.)191kJwind from the east-north-east, 16 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov55, fair7 ft13 ssoft11 ft at break (est.)1,612kJwind from the east-north-east, 14 knots26°C
Fri 6Nov38, poor6 ft11 ssoft8 ft at break (est.)776kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov30, too small5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)456kJwind from the east-north-east, 11 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov46, fair7 ft10 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)999kJwind from the east-north-east, 13 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov37, poor7 ft9 ssoft9 ft at break (est.)689kJwind from the east, 15 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov32, too small5 ft10 ssoft7 ft at break (est.)519kJwind from the east, 14 knots26°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 00:59 −0.1 mHigh 09:31 +0.3 mLow 17:20 −0.2 mHigh 23:09 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:31 −0.1 mHigh 10:24 +0.3 mLow 17:36 −0.2 mHigh 23:59 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:10 −0.1 mHigh 11:07 +0.2 mLow 17:56 −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 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.

Photos of Turtle Bay

Turtle Bay Resort
Photo: Simon_sees from Australia, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Turtle Bay, Oahu, Hawaii - panoramio
Photo: Steve Hedin, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Surfer at Turtle Bay Resort (Unsplash)
Photo: Sonnie Hiles sonniehiles, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Turtle Bay

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

The spot faces NW (322°), so it takes swell from the NW. The wind blows offshore from the SE (142°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 950 m out (1 in 97). 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 August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kahuku, 3.2 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 wind sports spot.

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$1,370–US$2,530 each

about US$1,370–US$2,530 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$100–US$167
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$1,370–US$2,530

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

Waiale E

about 5 min by car

about US$114/nightcountry average

See places to stay in Waiale E · Booking.com

About Waiale E 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 35m

About 12h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 1h 05m by road

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