Surf on the North Shore today
North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii · 18 spots ranked
Ehukai Beach Park is the best choice on the North Shore today: well overhead, 14-second swell, light offshore wind, rated fair to good.
Tomorrow, Wednesday 4 November
Ehukai Beach Park is the best choice on the North Shore tomorrow: well overhead, 11-second swell, light offshore wind, rated fair to good.
Surfing in the North Shore
The North Shore of Oahu is seven miles of coast between Haleiwa and Turtle Bay that, from November to February, holds the most powerful and most famous surf in the world - Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea, and a dozen spots between them that would be the best wave in most countries. It faces north-west into winter storms in the North Pacific, and the swells arrive with size and period that the rest of the surfing world rarely sees.
Which spot to surf is a question of size: Pipeline is perfect at 8 ft Hawaiian and moves to its outer reefs from about 12, Waimea does not start until 15, Chun's and Haleiwa are the human-scale options on a big day. This page ranks all of them from today's and tomorrow's forecast, using the same model as the app.
Where should a beginner surf in the North Shore?
Not in winter. Puaena Point at Haleiwa and Chun's Reef on a small day are the softest waves on the stretch, and even they demand competence when a swell is running. In summer the North Shore goes flat, and the whole coast becomes gentle enough to learn on.
Pipeline, Backdoor, Off the Wall and Sunset are expert waves. Waimea is a big-wave spot that only breaks when everything else is closing out.
When is the best time to surf the North Shore?
November to February is the season - north-west groundswell from North Pacific storms, with the biggest and most consistent surf in December and January. Trade winds from the north-east blow side-offshore and keep it clean. March and October are shoulder months with smaller swells. May to September is flat: the North Shore's summer is the south shore's season.
Common questions
Is Pipeline breaking today?
The table above ranks it against the rest. Pipeline needs a north-west swell of at least 6 ft Hawaiian with a long period; below that it is a different, softer wave.
Where can an intermediate surf on the North Shore?
Chun's Reef, Haleiwa on a smaller day, and Puaena Point. All are forgiving by North Shore standards and still real waves.
When is the best time to visit the North Shore for surf?
December and January for size and consistency; November and February for slightly fewer people. Summer is flat.
How big does Waimea need to be?
It starts breaking at around 15 ft Hawaiian and is at its best above 20 - days when the rest of the coast is closing out.
Is Sunset Beach good for surfing?
It is one of the great waves of the world, and one of the hardest to read: a shifting peak over a deep reef with a long paddle and strong current. Expert territory on a real swell.