Kealia Beach • Surf Spot Statistics

Best Surf Season (November - March)

From late autumn through early spring, the North Pacific storm track is in full swing. Low pressure systems rolling south of the Aleutians send long-period energy toward Hawaii, and Kealia's east-facing exposure picks up both open-ocean NNE/NE swell and wrap-around NNW pulses. Average wave heights run 7.5-8ft (2.3-2.4m), with periods solidly in the 11-12 second range, producing powerful, organized lines. The key window is December-February, when the ideal offshore wind percentage is at its annual peak (16-24%) and the wind from W/WNW/NW can groom the surface near glassy. It is not always perfect - ENE trade winds still blow on many days - but this is when the best match of size, period and wind align.

Fair Surf Season (April & October)

These are transition months. April sees North Pacific swell fading while the tradewind swell builds; waves still reach 7ft (2.1m) with a 10.3s period, but the ideal offshore wind drops to only 7%, so the surface is often bumpy. October is the mirror image, as the first winter systems start to ripple southward; average height jumps to 6ft+ (1.9m) and period lengthens, but trades still dominate and clean windows are rare. Both months can deliver fun, rippable surf when a brief westerly breeze lines up with a clean swell.

Low Surf Season (May - September)

The summer North Pacific High locks in, the trade winds strengthen, and ideal offshore wind percentages fall to 0-2%. Swell becomes almost entirely short-period, easterly trade swell generated over thousands of miles of open ocean; wave heights average only 5-6ft (1.5-1.8m) with periods around 9-10s. Because the prevailing ENE-E winds blow directly onshore at Kealia, the surf tends to be lumpy, sectiony, and less organized. On the rare day when a west/northwest wind sets up, there can be fun waist-to-shoulder-high rippable walls, but consistently clean conditions are scarce in summer.