Waimea Bay, Oahu

MapLive · -

10h 7m of daylight left

Sunset at 5:17 AM

SKIPSkip

2.3/ 10 · Poor

Best time to ride

4 AM–5 AM

Next 12 hours

Probably not worth the paddle.

Tide window opening

Conditions

Wave

4.6 ft→

Sweet spot 8–25 ft

Period

8s→

Sweet spot 14–20 s

Wind

11 mph E→

Cross-shore

Tide

Next · Low 05:39 AM

Session plan

Skip

Probably not worth the paddle.

Waimea Bay, Oahu

SKIP

Peak window

4 AM–5 AM

Avg score 3.3/10

Why this score

Tide will shift conditions soon.

Wave height4.6 ft

Swell period8s

WindCross-shore 11 mph

Current: 4.6 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

Next 12 hours

Peak window 4 AM–5 AM

Today's read·Auto-generated from the forecast

Quiet day — 4.6 ft and not much to work with. Tide shift to low around 5:39 AM could change the picture.

7 PM

2.34.6ft

8 PM

2.34.7ft

9 PM

2.34.7ft

10 PM

2.34.8ft

11 PM

2.34.9ft

12 AM

2.35.0ft

1 AM

2.35.1ft

2 AM

2.35.2ft

3 AM

2.35.2ft

4 AM

3.35.2ft

5 AM

3.35.2ft

6 AM

3.35.2ft

Sunrise 3:59 PM Sunset 5:17 AM

Next 5 days

Best window

Best this week

3.7/10

Tuesday, Jul 21 • 1 PM–2 PM

Wave 3.8 ft

Period 9s

Wind max 10 mph

Temp 73–85°F

Friday, Jul 17

3.3 / 10

Best: 12 PM–1 PM

Wave: 4.3 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 11 mph

Saturday, Jul 18

3.3 / 10

Best: 12 PM–1 PM

Wave: 4.5 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 12 mph

Sunday, Jul 19

3.3 / 10

Best: 12 PM–1 PM

Wave: 4.4 ft

Period: 8s

Wind max: 12 mph

Monday, Jul 20

3.3 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 3.9 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 11 mph

Tuesday, Jul 21

3.7 / 10

Best: 1 PM–2 PM

Wave: 3.8 ft

Period: 9s

Wind max: 10 mph

Day	Best window	Score	Wave	Period	Wind max	Temp
Friday, Jul 17	12 PM–1 PM	3.3	4.3 ft	8s	11 mph	—
Saturday, Jul 18	12 PM–1 PM	3.3	4.5 ft	9s	12 mph	75–85°F
Sunday, Jul 19	12 PM–1 PM	3.3	4.4 ft	8s	12 mph	73–84°F
Monday, Jul 20	1 PM–2 PM	3.3	3.9 ft	9s	11 mph	73–83°F
Tuesday, Jul 21	1 PM–2 PM	3.7	3.8 ft	9s	10 mph	73–85°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