Waimea Bay, Oahu

MapLive · -

7h 31m of daylight left

Sunset at 4:48 AM

SKIPSkip

1.5/ 10 · Poor

Best time to ride

2 AM–3 AM

Next 12 hours

Probably not worth the paddle.

Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

5.2 ft→

Sweet spot 8–25 ft

Period

8s→

Sweet spot 14–20 s

Wind

11 mph NE→

Side-on

Tide

Next · Low 04:52 AM

Session plan

Skip

Probably not worth the paddle.

Waimea Bay, Oahu

SKIP

Peak window

2 AM–3 AM

Avg score 2.3/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height5.2 ft

Swell period8s

WindSide-on 11 mph

Current: 5.2 ft @ 8s • 11 mph wind. wave height is okay but not doing the heavy lifting short period is making things weaker and choppier wind is starting to hurt shape a bit wind direction is fighting the banks and shape

Next 12 hours

Peak window 2 AM–3 AM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Quiet day — 5.2 ft and not much to work with. Tide shift to low around 4:52 AM could change the picture.

9 PM

1.55.2ft

10 PM

1.55.2ft

11 PM

1.55.2ft

12 AM

1.55.2ft

1 AM

1.55.3ft

2 AM

2.35.4ft

3 AM

2.35.5ft

4 AM

2.35.6ft

5 AM

2.35.7ft

6 AM

3.35.8ft

7 AM

3.35.8ft

8 AM

2.35.8ft

Sunrise 4:15 PM Sunset 4:48 AM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

4.8/10

Saturday, Sep 5 • 2 PM–3 PM

Wave 5.7 ft

Period 12s

Wind max 15 mph

Temp 74–85°F

Tuesday, Sep 1

3.3 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 5.3 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 15 mph

Wednesday, Sep 2

3.3 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 5.6 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 13 mph

Thursday, Sep 3

2.3 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 5.7 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 17 mph

Friday, Sep 4

2.3 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 5.8 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 18 mph

Saturday, Sep 5

4.8 / 10

Best: 2 PM–3 PM

Wave: 5.7 ft

Period: 12s

Wind max: 15 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Tuesday, Sep 1	1 PM–2 PM	3.3	5.3 ft	8s	15 mph	75–85°F
Wednesday, Sep 2	1 PM–2 PM	3.3	5.6 ft	9s	13 mph	75–85°F
Thursday, Sep 3	1 PM–2 PM	2.3	5.7 ft	8s	17 mph	74–83°F
Friday, Sep 4	1 PM–2 PM	2.3	5.8 ft	8s	18 mph	74–83°F
Saturday, Sep 5	2 PM–3 PM	4.8	5.7 ft	12s	15 mph	74–85°F

Spot intelWetsuit, hazards & notes

Not beginner-friendly today

Beginner basics

Where to go

There is no beginner area when Waimea is breaking — the channel is 25+ feet of deep water and the takeoff is one of the heaviest paddle-in waves on Earth. On flat summer days the bay is a swimming beach only.

What to avoid

Anywhere in the bay when there are waves. The shorebreak alone has snapped necks. Massive close-out sets clean up the entire bay with no warning.

Best beginner conditions

Waimea is never beginner-friendly when it's breaking. In summer, swim at the beach and surf elsewhere — Waikiki is the standard learning destination on Oahu.

New to surfing? Read the beginner guide →

Wetsuit

Summer setup

Season-based baseline. Water temp varies week to week.

Full guide

Boardshorts / Bikini

Or 2mm top on windy mornings

2mm Springsuit / Shorty

If you get cold easily

Spot notes

How this break works