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Kealia Beach Kauai Hawaii
Kealia. Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kealia

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

29Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 15 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
167kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
25°C

Tue 3 · 31 out of 100

Swell
3 ft7 smushy
Energy
106kJ
Wind
ENE 9 kn
Temp
25°C

Wed 4 · 29 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
145kJ
Wind
ENE 12 kn
Temp
26°C

Thu 5 · 33 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 smushy
Energy
251kJ
Wind
ENE 8 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 12 out of 100

Swell
6 ft6 smushy
Energy
223kJ
Wind
NE 11 kn
Temp
26°C

Sat 7 · 27 out of 100

Swell
5 ft7 smushy
Energy
228kJ
Wind
NE 10 kn
Temp
25°C

Sun 8 · 33 out of 100

Swell
5 ft6 smushy
Energy
163kJ
Wind
NE 8 kn
Temp
25°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 215, poor
  2. Tue 332, poor
  3. Wed 427, poor
  4. Thu 533, too small
  5. Fri 67, poor
  6. Sat 722, poor
  7. Sun 836, poor
  8. Mon 929, poor
  9. Tue 1025, poor
  10. Wed 1145, fair

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best May, Aug–Oct1 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

Kealia does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Kealia, each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov15, poor4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots25°C
Tue 3Nov32, poor3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.)106kJwind from the east-north-east, 9 knots25°C
Wed 4Nov27, poor4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)145kJwind from the east-north-east, 12 knots26°C
Thu 5Nov33, too small3 ft14 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.)251kJwind from the east-north-east, 8 knots25°C
Fri 6Nov7, poor6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.)223kJwind from the north-east, 11 knots26°C
Sat 7Nov22, poor5 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.)228kJwind from the north-east, 10 knots25°C
Sun 8Nov36, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the north-east, 8 knots25°C
Mon 9Nov29, poor5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.)169kJwind from the east-north-east, 10 knots25°C
Tue 10Nov25, poor6 ft6 smushy6 ft at break (est.)186kJwind from the north-east, 9 knots26°C
Wed 11Nov45, fair3 ft6 smushy4 ft at break (est.)71kJwind from the east-north-east, 7 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 01:59 −0.1 mHigh 09:57 +0.3 mLow 17:30 −0.2 mHigh 23:23 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 03:57 −0.1 mHigh 10:50 +0.3 mLow 17:51 −0.2 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:16 +0.1 mLow 05:29 −0.1 mHigh 11:34 +0.2 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 beginners: 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 Kealia

Beach Kealia Kauai Hawaii
Photo: dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kauaʻi coast 09
Photo: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kealia

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

The spot faces E (111°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (291°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 400 m out (1 in 39). 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 August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually May, August, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kapaa, 2.6 km away (about 5 min by car).

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 2 November 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$986
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$302–US$503
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$148–US$242
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

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Kapaa

about 5 min by car · 21 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 21 places to stay in Kapaa · Booking.com

About Kapaa 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 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 14h 45m

About 14h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → HNL, direct, then 3h 10m by road

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

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