BreakAtlas
rebuilt 4:16 AM CDT

Oahu South Shore

Waikiki surf report

3.3ft

Fun-sized — 3.3 ft.

NDBC 51211 updated 10:30 PM

Wednesday, August 12 · local time at the spot

Right now

Swell

3.3 ft

17 s · SSE166°

NDBC 51211 updated 10:30 PM

Wind

This buoy carries no anemometer, so there is no wind reading here.

Water temperature

82°F

27.8 °C

NDBC 51211 updated 10:30 PM

Daylight

6:09 AM

sunrise · sunset 7:02 PM

Solunar, computed updated 11:15 PM

Tide

Currently rising — next high at 4:30 AM (1.206 ft)

TimeTideHeight
3:42 AM high 1.048 ft
9:08 AM low -0.054 ft
4:12 PM high 2.48 ft
11:05 PM low 0.124 ft
NOAA CO-OPS 1612340 updated 11:15 PM

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

DayHeight PeriodDirection
Wed 2.4 ft 13.2 s N 11°
Thu 2.5 ft 15.5 s N 5°
Fri 2.9 ft 14.3 s N 1°
Sat 2.5 ft 13.4 s N 359°
Sun 2.6 ft 11 s NW 320°
Mon 3.3 ft 7.1 s WSW 253°
NOAA WaveWatch III 51211 updated 11:15 PM

A model computes; it does not observe. Accuracy drops with range, and nearshore transformation is where it is weakest.

What to wear

At 82 °F (27.8 °C), most people at Waikiki 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

Public stream by EarthCam · embedding permission checked August 13, 2026

The break

Type
Long, gentle reef breaks over a shallow coral shelf
Best swell
S to SW summer groundswell
Best wind
Offshore NE trades
Tide
Mid to high tide; low tide exposes the reef
Level
Beginner to intermediate

Hazards

  • Shallow coral
  • Very crowded
  • Outrigger canoe and catamaran traffic

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 51211 model cycle 20260813 0z · model · read 11:15 PM
  • NDBC 51211 buoy wave height · read 10:30 PM
  • NOAA CO-OPS 1612340 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

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.