Waikiki Swell Window
Hawaii, USA · part of the Waikiki spot guide
- Swell window (from)
- 150°–240° (SSE–WSW)
- Best direction
- ~190° (S)
- Period sweet spot
- 14–20 s
- Open-ocean height (Hs)
- 1–6 ft
- Resulting faces
- 1–6 ft
Open-ocean vs. the face: the heights on buoys and forecast models are significant wave height (Hs) in deep water. What you ride is the breaking face, which depends on period, direction and this break's bathymetry — that's why the two rows above differ. PierMonkey's spot ratings already do this conversion for you.
The window runs from south-southeast through south to southwest, with the best straight south to south-southwest into the roughly 195°-facing shore. It wants long-period Southern Ocean groundswell, around 14-to-20 seconds, which arrives with more space between waves and a gentler rolling shape than a short-period north-shore winter wave; shorter-period local wind swell is weaker and messier.
Because the outer shelf spaces and drains the swell, the face is at or below the buoy height — do not expect it to exceed the number the way a steep reef might. Waikiki trades size for length and mellowness.