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Tombstones
Surf spot · United States
Is it worth the trip?
51Fair out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 11 s
Mon 2 · 53 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 618kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 301kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 66 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 92kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft6 smushy
- Energy
- 412kJ
- Wind
- W 3 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 8 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 647kJ
- Wind
- W 6 kn
- Temp
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 0 out of 100
- Swell
- 7 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 440kJ
- Wind
- WNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 300kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 25°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 159, fair
- Mon 253, fair
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 466, good
- Thu 50, too big
- Fri 60, too big
- Sat 70, too big
- Sun 867, good
- Mon 971, good
- Tue 1071, good
The spot in six 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
- Best in Sep2 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 59, fair | 3 ft16 shollow | 486kJ | wind from the north-east, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 53, fair | 4 ft13 shollow | 618kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 4 ft11 shollow | 301kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 66, good | 4 ft6 smushy | 92kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 4 knots | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft6 smushy | 412kJ | wind from the west, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 0, too big | 8 ft7 smushy | 647kJ | wind from the west, 6 knots | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 0, too big | 7 ft7 smushy | 440kJ | wind from the west-north-west, 6 knots | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 67, good | 4 ft11 shollow | 300kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 smushy | 187kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 3 knots | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 smushy | 158kJ | offshorewind from the west, 6 knots, offshore | 23°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 00:33 −0.3 mHigh 08:40 +0.4 mLow 16:28 −0.2 mHigh 21:31 −0.1 m
- 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
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 in Sep
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
- Sep2of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov0of 7: a trip from Mon 2 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
Tombstones on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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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 Tombstones
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More surf near here
5 places
- Honolii 0.4 km away
- Hilo Breakwall 1.8 km away
- Papaikou Mill 2.9 km away
- Bayfront 3.3 km away
- Chocks 5.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Tombstones
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces NE (56°), so it takes swell from the NE. The wind blows offshore from the SW (236°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 24). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. 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 month is usually September, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hilo, 5 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$1,410–US$2,610 each
about US$1,410–US$2,610 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 30 October 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$469–US$978 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$154–US$255 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$147–US$241 |
| Total | about US$1,410–US$2,610 |
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
8 min by car · 3 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Papaikou its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Hilo on Booking.com
9 min by car · 13 places to stay
- Beds in Honomu on Booking.com
24 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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
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.