Waikiki Surf Season
Hawaii, USA · part of the Waikiki spot guide
Waikiki is a summer south-shore spot, prime roughly April to October and peaking June to August. The swell is generated by winter storms deep in the Southern Hemisphere — the Southern Ocean near New Zealand and the Tahiti region — that fire long-period groundswell thousands of miles north to Oahu’s south-facing coast. In winter the south shore goes small-to-flat, which is North Shore season instead.
Where the swell comes from
Southern Hemisphere and Southern Ocean extratropical storms sending long-travel south groundswell, with occasional late-season contributions from eastern-Pacific tropical activity.
Historic swells at Waikiki
Biggest south swell since 1995
A powerful Southern Hemisphere storm pushed south-shore faces toward the 20-to-24-foot range, with a wave off Diamond Head estimated near 25 feet and nearly 2,000 rescues logged over the weekend — the benchmark modern south-shore event.