Staying Home Sucks, home
Kona Bay, Kailua-Kona (504492)
Kona Tiki. Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Kona Tiki

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

32Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Thu 5: too small (2 ft swell at 11 s)

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 27 out of 100

Swell
2 ft10 shollow
Energy
61kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
24°C

Wed 4 · 22 out of 100

Swell
1 ft15 shollow
Energy
66kJ
Wind
W 1 kn
Temp
25°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
106kJ
Wind
WNW 0 kn
Temp
25°C

Fri 6 · 36 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
104kJ
Wind
WSW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 33 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
86kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 33 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
73kJ
Wind
SSW 2 kn
Temp
26°C

Mon 9 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
57kJ
Wind
WSW 3 kn
Temp
26°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 244, too small
  2. Tue 327, too small
  3. Wed 422, too small
  4. Thu 537, too small
  5. Fri 636, too small
  6. Sat 733, too small
  7. Sun 833, too small
  8. Mon 923, too small
  9. Tue 1022, too small
  10. Wed 1132, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–10 ftof swell
  • Water 27 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best in Jan4 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Kona Tiki, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov44, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)191kJwind from the south-west, 3 knots26°C
Tue 3Nov27, too small2 ft10 shollow2 ft at break (est.)61kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots24°C
Wed 4Nov22, too small1 ft15 shollow3 ft at break (est.)66kJwind from the west, 1 knot25°C
Thu 5Nov37, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)106kJwind from the west-north-west, 0 knots25°C
Fri 6Nov36, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)104kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov33, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)86kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots27°C
Sun 8Nov33, too small2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.)73kJwind from the south-south-west, 2 knots26°C
Mon 9Nov23, too small2 ft11 shollow2 ft at break (est.)57kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots26°C
Tue 10Nov22, too small1 ft15 shollow2 ft at break (est.)55kJwind from the west-south-west, 2 knots24°C
Wed 11Nov32, too small2 ft13 shollow3 ft at break (est.)76kJwind from the west-north-west, 3 knots24°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 03:12 −0.1 mHigh 10:26 +0.3 mLow 17:44 −0.3 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 00:01 +0.1 mLow 05:07 −0.1 mHigh 11:35 +0.3 mLow 18:24 −0.3 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 00:54 +0.2 mLow 06:36 −0.1 mHigh 12:34 +0.2 mLow 18:58 −0.3 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 Kona Tiki

Crashing waves - panoramio
Near Kona Tiki. Photo: Eric Marshall, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Over Kona Bay, Kailua-Kona (504495)
Near Kona Tiki, 1 km away. Photo: Robert Linsdell from St. Andrews, Canada, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Kona Tiki

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

The spot faces SW (236°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (56°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 25°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 28°C in October, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually January, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Kailua-Kona, 2.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot, 3 dive sites and 1 kayak spot.

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$1,290–US$2,410 each

about US$1,290–US$2,410 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 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$470–US$980
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$27–US$47
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$1,290–US$2,410

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 2 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

Kailua-Kona

about 5 min by car · 45 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 45 places to stay in Kailua-Kona · Booking.com

About Kailua-Kona 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 12h

About 12h door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 35 min by road

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

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.