Pohoiki
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 6 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 105kJ
- Wind
- NNE 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft5 smushy
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- N 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 19 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft7 shollow
- Energy
- 135kJ
- Wind
- N 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 577kJ
- Wind
- N 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 510kJ
- Wind
- NE 15 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 276kJ
- Wind
- NE 15 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 65kJ
- Wind
- NE 11 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 232, too small
- Tue 351, fair
- Wed 447, fair
- Thu 519, poor
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 812, poor
- Mon 922, too small
- Tue 1019, poor
- Wed 1130, poor
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Apr, Sep–Oct1 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Pohoiki does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 32, too small | 3 ft10 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 131kJ | wind from the north-east, 14 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 51, fair | 4 ft6 smushyunder 1 ft at break (est.) | 105kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 47, fair | 4 ft5 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | offshorewind from the north, 9 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 19, poor | 4 ft7 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 135kJ | offshorewind from the north, 8 knots, offshore | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 577kJ | wind from the north, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 510kJ | wind from the north-east, 15 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 12, poor | 6 ft7 smushy6 ft at break (est.) | 276kJ | wind from the north-east, 15 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 65kJ | wind from the north-east, 11 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 19, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 190kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 24°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 30, poor | 5 ft6 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | wind from the north-east, 12 knots | 25°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 02:42 −0.2 mHigh 10:02 +0.4 mLow 17:17 −0.3 mHigh 23:20 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:33 −0.1 mHigh 11:08 +0.3 mLow 17:56 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:17 +0.2 mLow 05:58 −0.2 mHigh 12:02 +0.3 mLow 18:30 −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.
Best time to go
best Apr, Sep–Oct
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr1of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec0of 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
Pohoiki on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Richardsons 35.9 km away
- 4 Miles 36.5 km away
- Chocks 37.5 km away
- Bayfront 38.6 km away
- Hilo Breakwall 40 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Pohoiki
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (144°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (324°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 150 m out (1 in 15). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually April, September and October, with about 1 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hilo.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KOA, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$470–US$980 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$302–US$503 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$148–US$242 |
| Total | about 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: Hilo
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 1h 10m by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Hilo its beds, food and every spot near it
Nearest beds: Hilo, 37 km (about 1h 10m by car)
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
About 14h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 2h 35m by road
Flights ORD → KOA on your dates · AviasalesAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.