Hawaii is where surfing was born and where it still feels most alive. Marooned in the middle of the Pacific with a 360-degree swell window and warm water every month, the Aloha State is the sport’s spiritual home, its ancient he’e nalu (wave-sliding) once the pastime of kings. The North Shore of Oahu is surfing’s ultimate proving ground, but that’s only the start: across four islands you’ll find the heaviest reefs on Earth and the gentlest learner rollers, a north shore that roars in winter and a south shore that hums in summer. It sits right at the top of our guide to the world’s best places to surf. Here’s Hawaii, island by island, plus when to go and what to pack.
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Quick surf guide to Hawaii
- Two seasons: North and West shores November to March (advanced); South shores May to September (beginner-friendly)
- Best for beginners: Waikiki (Oahu), Launiupoko (Maui), Poipu and Pine Trees (Kauai), Kahalu’u (Big Island)
- Best for advanced: Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea (Oahu), Honolua Bay, Jaws (Maui)
- Water temp: 24 to 27°C, so boardshorts or a springsuit, plus a rashie and reef booties
- Gateway: Honolulu (HNL), then inter-island flights to Maui (OGG), Kauai (LIH), Big Island (KOA/ITO)
- Budget: $150 to $300+ a day, the most expensive surf trip in the USA
Where to surf in Hawaii
There’s only one sensible way to break Hawaii down: island by island. Four of the eight islands really matter for surf, Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. Tap a marker to preview a spot, then click its name to jump straight to it below.
Surfing on Oahu
Oahu is the beating heart of surfing: the North Shore in winter is the sport’s proving ground, while the South Shore around Waikiki turns on in summer for everyone else. Legends and first-timers, a few miles apart.
Pipeline
The most famous and most dangerous wave on Earth. Pipeline is a thick, perfect left that detonates over a shallow, cavernous lava reef a stone’s throw from the sand at Ehukai, with Backdoor peeling right off the same peak. It has claimed lives and made careers, hosts the Pipe Masters, and is strictly the domain of the world’s best. For the rest of us, the beach is the greatest surf theatre going.
Sunset Beach
A vast, powerful and shifting right (with lefts) that can hold enormous swell, Sunset is a proper big-wave arena where reading the ocean matters as much as surfing it. Long paddles, strong currents and thick walls make it a serious step up from anything on the mainland. A Triple Crown venue and a rite of passage for aspiring North Shore chargers.
Waimea Bay
The birthplace of big-wave surfing. Waimea only wakes up when everything else has closed out, holding giant, thundering peaks and hosting the Eddie Aikau Invitational on the rare days it runs. Deep water, a heavy drop and history in every set. On flat summer days it’s a serene swimming bay, hard to reconcile with its winter self.
Haleiwa
The gateway to the North Shore and its most welcoming quality wave: a punchy, walling right with a tricky inside section (the Toilet Bowl) that opens the Triple Crown. Less lethal than Pipe or Sunset but still powerful and crowded, it’s where competent visitors get their first taste of North Shore juice. The town behind it is the coast’s hub for food, boards and repairs.
Waikiki
The friendly heart of Hawaiian surfing and the wave that gave the sport to the world, ridden by Duke Kahanamoku himself. Off the Honolulu high-rises, gentle, long-walling peaks like Canoes and Queens roll in over reef, perfect for learning on a longboard among a hundred surf schools. Warm, forgiving and endlessly fun, it fires in summer when the South Shore lights up.
Ala Moana Bowls
The South Shore’s jewel, a fast, hollow left that barrels along the reef by the harbour entrance when a good south swell hits. It’s the town’s premier performance wave, sharply localised and crowded, and comes alive in the summer months while the North Shore sleeps. Bowls on a proper south is one of the best sessions on the island.
Makaha
The soul of West Side surfing: a versatile right point that ranges from mellow longboard days to big, bowling walls, wrapped in deep Hawaiian tradition and home to the historic Makaha International. It’s a friendly, family wave on a small day and a serious one when it’s big. Respect runs deep out here, so it’s a place to keep your head down and smile.
Surfing on Maui
Maui trades Oahu’s crowds for quiet quality: world-class right points, the planet’s most infamous big wave, and gentle west and south beaches to learn on. Windy, expensive, and worth it.
Honolua Bay
Maui’s answer to a perfect wave: a right point that wraps around a lush headland into fast, barreling walls (the Cave, the Point) on a solid winter swell. When it’s on, it’s one of the best rights in the world and correspondingly crowded. A protected marine reserve of staggering beauty, best left to those who can handle its speed and its shallow reef.
Ho’okipa
The windsurfing capital of the world and a serious surf reef, Ho’okipa serves punchy rights and lefts over sharp reef just outside Paia. It gets very windy by mid-morning (hence the sailors), so surfers go early. Localised and no place to learn, but a quality wave for those who belong. Leave the far-right peak, Pavilions, to the locals.
Pe’ahi (Jaws)
Simply Jaws. Pe’ahi is one of the most formidable waves on the planet, a 30 to 60-foot beast that unloads onto a lava reef and gave birth to tow-in surfing in the 1990s. A handful of the world’s elite paddle and tow it; everyone else watches, awestruck, from the cliff. A must-see, not a must-surf, and a humbling reminder of the ocean’s power.
Ma’alaea
Widely called the fastest rideable wave in the world, the freight-train right at Ma’alaea reels so quickly that few can keep up with it. It’s fickle, needing a big summer south swell to break at all, and always packed when it does. A legendary, lightning-quick wave for experts only, and a rare summer jewel on an island that mostly faces north.
Launiupoko
Maui’s friendliest learner wave, a mellow reef and point break with long, forgiving rollers just south of Lahaina, backed by a grassy park made for a family day. Welcoming and low-pressure, it’s where most people take their first Maui waves. The perfect antidote to the island’s heavy reefs and howling afternoon trades.
Surfing on Kauai
The Garden Isle is the wild, scenic one: a north shore that lights up in winter, a south shore for summer, and hundreds of breaks, many barely mapped. Raw, beautiful and gloriously uncrowded by Hawaiian standards.
Hanalei Bay
The epicentre of Kauai surf and one of the most beautiful bays anywhere, ringed by green mountains and waterfalls. A long right-hand point wraps into the bay, offering everything from powerful winter walls out the back to gentle, tamed rollers by the pier for beginners on a small day. Kauai’s must-surf, and pure postcard material.
Pine Trees
The learner-friendly stretch of Hanalei Bay by the lifeguard tower, a forgiving sandy-bottom beach break where Kauai kids and visitors alike find their feet. On a small, clean day it’s about as gentle as the north shore gets, with that jaw-dropping Hanalei backdrop thrown in for free. Watch the currents when there’s size about.
Poipu
The south shore’s summer hub around Poipu Beach, holding a spread of reef waves from slow, rolling peaks that suit improvers to the steeper PK’s for those with more under their belt. Consistent, warm and scenic, it’s the place to be on Kauai when the north shore goes flat. Great snorkelling next door when it’s calm.
Tunnels
Makua, better known as Tunnels for its cave-riddled reef, is a stunning and serious outer reef out towards the end of the north shore road. It holds powerful, walling rights over sharp coral and demands respect, water knowledge and a healthy swell. One of Kauai’s best waves, and one of its more consequential when it’s big.
Surfing on the Big Island
The youngest island has fewer breaks and less forgiving access (lava, not sand), but real waves for those who seek them, from Hilo’s rainy east side to the sunny Kona coast. The quiet frontier of Hawaiian surf.
Honoli’i
The Big Island’s premier and most consistent wave, a rivermouth break just north of Hilo where lefts and rights peel into a black-pebble cove. It’s the heart of east-side surf culture, busy with a tight local crew, and works on the trade and north swells that wrap in. Rainy, lush and full of soul, it’s the island’s true home break.
Banyans
Kona’s best-known wave and the hub of west-side surfing, a punchy reef break (mostly right) off Ali’i Drive that draws a committed local pack. It picks up both south and wrapping north swells, so it works much of the year, and lights up best on a clean morning before the wind fills in. Localised, so mind your manners in the line-up.
Kahalu’u
The Big Island’s go-to learner spot, a protected bay in Kona with mellow, rolling waves over reef and warm, clear water full of turtles. Busy with surf schools and forgiving on a small day, it’s where most people on the island stand up for the first time. Wear booties and mind the shallow reef at low tide.
When to surf in Hawaii
North and West shores (the big-wave coasts)
South shores (Waikiki, Poipu, Ma’alaea)
Shoulder
Small to flat
Hawaii’s magic is that it’s essentially never flat. When the North Shore and the north and west coasts fire on powerful swells (roughly October to April), the south shores go small; and when summer souths light up Waikiki, Ma’alaea and Poipu (May to September), the north falls quiet. Match your shore to the season and your level.
In practice, winter is for advanced surfers chasing the North Shore, and it’s the rainiest, windiest and most crowded (and priciest) time, peaking December to March. Summer is the friendlier season to learn on the south shores. The shoulder months (mid-April to mid-June and September to mid-December) bring the best mix of value, space and good weather.
What are the best surf camps in Hawaii?
Hawaii has a deep surf-camp and surf-school scene, and where you go depends on your level and your island. Oahu is the obvious base, with beginner camps clustered around Waikiki and North Shore camps (Haleiwa, Sunset, Velzyland) built around winter swell for confident surfers. Maui, Kauai and the Big Island lean more towards surf schools and smaller lodges. Learn on the south shore in summer, and only chase the North Shore with a guide once you’re genuinely ready.
Compare surf camps in Hawaii on BookSurfCamps
What to pack for Hawaii
The water is a warm 24 to 27°C all year, so leave the wetsuit at home. Hawaii is the land of shallow lava reef, so the priorities are sun protection and your feet. Your packing checklist:
- Boardshorts or a springsuit for dawn patrols, plus a rashie (no full wetsuit needed)
- Reef booties and a first-aid kit, because most breaks are shallow lava and coral
- Reef-safe SPF and a surf hat for the strong tropical sun
- A surf watch to track the tides and swells
- The right board: see our best beginner surfboards and check your board volume
- A set of fins and a spare, plus a leash you trust for powerful reef waves
- Your best outfit from your favourite surf brand: see our best surf clothing brands
- A good travel board bag for the flights and inter-island hops
Getting to Hawaii
Honolulu (HNL) on Oahu is the main gateway, with direct flights from the US mainland, Canada, Japan and beyond, plus low-cost mainland connections. From there, short inter-island hops on Hawaiian Airlines reach Maui (OGG), Kauai (LIH) and the Big Island (KOA in Kona, ITO in Hilo). You’ll want a hire car on every island (budget around $400 a week), and to island-hop rather than try to do it all in one trip. Hawaii is part of our wider look at surfing in the USA, with a California guide to come. For another warm-water reef mecca on the far side of the Pacific, see our guide to surfing in Indonesia.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to surf in Hawaii?
There are two seasons. The North Shore and the north and west coasts fire on powerful swells from roughly October to April (winter), for advanced surfers. The south shores, like Waikiki, Poipu and Ma’alaea, turn on in summer, May to September, with smaller, friendlier waves ideal for beginners.
Is Hawaii good for beginners?
Yes, in the right place and season. Waikiki on Oahu is the classic learner wave, with Launiupoko on Maui, Poipu and Pine Trees on Kauai, and Kahalu’u on the Big Island all forgiving, especially in summer. Just avoid the North Shore in winter, which is strictly for experts.
Which Hawaiian island should I surf?
Oahu for the full spectrum, from Waikiki to the North Shore, and the easiest logistics; Maui for quieter world-class points and to witness Jaws; Kauai for scenery and uncrowded waves; the Big Island for a frontier feel. Most first-timers start on Oahu.
Do I need a wetsuit in Hawaii?
No. The water sits at 24 to 27°C year-round, so boardshorts or a springsuit is plenty, with a rashie for the sun. The useful bit of kit here is a pair of reef booties, since most breaks are shallow lava and coral.
Is Hawaii dangerous to surf?
It can be. The marquee waves break over shallow lava reef with serious power, currents and consequences, and the North Shore in winter is for experts only. Localism is also real, so show respect in the water. Pick waves within your level, surf patrolled beaches, and Hawaii is as rewarding as surfing gets.
How much does a surf trip to Hawaii cost?
Hawaii is the most expensive place to surf in the USA. Flights, car hire (around $400 a week) and accommodation add up fast, so budget $150 to $300 or more a day. Travelling in the shoulder seasons, mid-April to mid-June and September to mid-December, brings better rates and fewer crowds.
Hawaii is where surfing was born and where it still feels most alive: the North Shore in full winter roar, Waikiki’s gentle summer rollers, Maui’s perfect points and Kauai’s empty beauty. Respect the reef, respect the locals, match your shore to the season, and you’ll understand why every surfer dreams of the Aloha State. See you in the line-up.
