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Richardsons
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
38Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 10 s
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 211kJ
- Wind
- N 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Wed 4 · 76 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft10 ssoft
- Energy
- 243kJ
- Wind
- WNW 7 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 300kJ
- Wind
- W 8 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 631kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 480kJ
- Wind
- WSW 9 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sun 8 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 6 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 296kJ
- Wind
- NE 10 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 46 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft11 scrumbling
- Energy
- 254kJ
- Wind
- ENE 5 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 237, poor
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 476, good
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 80, too big
- Mon 946, fair
- Tue 1023, poor
- Wed 1170, good
The spot in five facts
- Faces NEtakes swell from the NE
- Offshore: SWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 2–9 ftof swell
- Water 26 °Cno wetsuit
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Richardsons 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 | 37, poor | 5 ft13 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 819kJ | wind from the north, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | wind from the north, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 76, good | 4 ft10 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 243kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 7 knots | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft6 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 300kJ | wind from the west, 8 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy8 ft at break (est.) | 631kJ | wind from the north-west, 5 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 480kJ | wind from the west-south-west, 9 knots | 26°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 0, too big | 6 ft7 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 296kJ | wind from the north-east, 10 knots | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 46, fair | 3 ft11 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.) | 254kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 5 knots | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 23, poor | 5 ft9 smushy7 ft at break (est.) | 376kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 7 knots | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 70, good | 3 ft10 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 170kJ | offshorewind from the west-south-west, 8 knots, offshore | 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 02:21 −0.2 mHigh 09:55 +0.4 mLow 17:12 −0.2 mHigh 23:09 +0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 04:15 −0.1 mHigh 10:58 +0.3 mLow 17:47 −0.3 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 00:07 +0.2 mLow 05:42 −0.2 mHigh 11:49 +0.3 mLow 18:18 −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
No month stands out
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
- May1of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 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
- 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, its town, photos
Richardsons 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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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Richardsons
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More surf near here
5 places
- 4 Miles 1.4 km away
- Chocks 3 km away
- Hilo Breakwall 6.3 km away
- Bayfront 6.7 km away
- Tombstones 8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Richardsons
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (26°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (206°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–9 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 500 m out (1 in 52). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 24°C in March, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 27°C in August, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Hilo, 7.7 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots.
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: 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
about 15 min by car · 13 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Hilo its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Papaikou on Booking.com
about 20 min by car · 3 places to stay
- Beds in Honomu on Booking.com
about 35 min by car · 4 places to stay
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 13h 30m
About 13h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KOA, direct, then 2h 05m 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.