Oahu North Shore
Sunset Beach surf report
3.6ft
Fun-sized — 3.6 ft.
Wednesday, August 12 · local time at the spot
Right now
Swell
3.6 ft
17 s · WSW255°
Wind
This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.
Water temperature
80.2°F
26.8 °C
Daylight
6:09 AM
sunrise · sunset 7:04 PM
Tide
Currently rising — next high at 3:28 AM (0.965 ft)
| Time | Tide | Height |
|---|---|---|
| 2:40 AM | high | 0.838 ft |
| 7:03 AM | low | -0.043 ft |
| 3:10 PM | high | 1.984 ft |
| 9:00 PM | low | 0.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed | 0.9 ft | 12.7 s | NNE 25° |
| Thu | 0.7 ft | 15.5 s | NNE 17° |
| Fri | 0.9 ft | 14.2 s | NNE 19° |
| Sat | 1 ft | 7.6 s | SSE 157° |
| Sun | 0.7 ft | 7.9 s | SSE 165° |
| Mon | 4 ft | 7.3 s | WSW 243° |
A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.
What to wear
At 80.2 °F (26.8 °C), most people at Sunset Beach 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
- Big-wave outer reef with a shifting peak
- Best swell
- NW to N groundswell
- Best wind
- Light offshore or trade-wind lulls
- Tide
- All tides; the peak shifts rather than closing out
- Level
- Advanced to expert
Hazards
- Powerful rip along the west bowl
- Long hold-downs on big days
- Crowded peak
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 11:15 PM
- NOAA WaveWatch III 51201 model cycle 20260813 0z · model · read 11:15 PM
- NDBC 51201 buoy wave height · read 10:26 PM
- NOAA CO-OPS 1612668 tide predictions · read 11:15 PM
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
- Banzai Pipeline 3.6 ft · 2 km
- Waimea Bay 3.6 ft · 5 km
- Haleiwa 3.6 ft · 12 km
- Waikiki 3.3 ft · 50 km
- Belmar 2 ft · 7985 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.