Kauai North Shore
Hanalei Bay surf report
8.9ft
Epic — 8.9 ft.
Sunday, September 27 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
8.9 ft
10 s · N355°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
78.3°F
25.7 °C
Daylight
6:28 AM
sunrise · sunset 6:29 PM
Rip current risk
No rip current risk level for this beach. The HFO Surf Zone Forecast does not carry a rip current risk line for this zone. The National Weather Service publishes this for some coastlines and not others, so the assessment falls to you and the lifeguards — how to spot a rip current, what to do if you are caught, and what the flags mean.
Tide
Currently falling — next low at 8:48 AM (0.467 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 3:08 AM | high | 2.038 ft |
| 8:48 AM | low | 0.467 ft |
| 2:49 PM | high | 1.564 ft |
| 8:32 PM | low | 0.072 ft |
Tide values are predictions. Wind, pressure and surge move the real water level, sometimes by a lot — see the disclaimer.
Forecast
Model output, not a measurement — NOAA WaveWatch III
| Day | Height | Period | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | 1.7 ft | 15.3 s | SE 125° |
| Sun | 9.7 ft | 9 s | WSW 258° |
| Mon | 7.8 ft | 8.6 s | WSW 257° |
| Tue | 5.7 ft | 8.3 s | W 262° |
| Wed | 4.1 ft | 7.8 s | W 264° |
| Thu | 3.9 ft | 7.4 s | W 265° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 78.3 °F (25.7 °C), most people at Hanalei Bay are comfortable in a boardshorts or a swimsuit.
No suit needed
for 75 °F and warmer
Warm enough to surf with nothing on. A long session in the sun still costs you more heat than it feels like.
The temperature is measured. The suit recommendation is not — it follows the manufacturers' convention, which varies by a degree or two between brands, and it knows nothing about wind, session length or how you personally run. The full chart and what it leaves out.
Surf cam
No cam here yet. We operate no cameras of our own and embed only where the operator allows it — the rule is on the copyright page. Cam operators who would like a link are welcome to write.
The break
- Type
- Long right-hand point break at the pier and river mouth
- Best swell
- NW to N groundswell in winter
- Best wind
- Offshore S
- Tide
- All tides
- Level
- Intermediate to expert
Hazards
- Strong current at the river mouth
- Shallow reef on the inside
- Runoff after heavy rain
Local knowledge, not a measurement. Conditions decide the day — check the National Weather Service for warnings and the lifeguards for whether to go in.
Every source behind this page
- Solunar computed · read 3:38 AM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 51208 model cycle 20260927 6z · model · read 3:38 AM
- NDBC 51208 buoy wave height · read 1:56 AM
- NOAA CO-OPS 1611683 tide predictions · read 3:38 AM
All of it is public NOAA and National Weather Service data, free for anyone to use. What we add is the pairing of this spot with these stations — see the terms.
Nearby spots
- Haleiwa 7.2 ft · 159 km
- Waimea Bay 7.2 ft · 161 km
- Banzai Pipeline 7.2 ft · 161 km
- Jalama Beach 6.2 ft · 4025 km
- Malibu (Surfrider) 2 ft · 4183 km
Surf and beach conditions change faster than this page does, and nobody watches it in real time. When the water looks different from the numbers, trust the water and the lifeguards.