Surf-Forecast | Kapaniah Surf Guide

Lat Long: 20.23° N 155.75° W

Issued: 1 am 04 Nov 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in hr min

Today's Kapaniah sea temperature is

27.2°C

Kapaniah surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.

Photo by: seth knappe

Kapaniah Surf Guide

Kapaniah in Big Island is an exposed reef break that has very consistent surf and works all around the year. Offshore winds are from the southwest. Clean groundswells prevail and the ideal swell direction is from the northeast. Good surf at all stages of the tide. The location means that it never gets crowded. Beware of - Urchins - Rocks.

Kapaniah Spot Info

Type:	Rating:	Reliability:	Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef	2	very consistent	27.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Kapaniah:

The best conditions reported for surf at Kapaniah occur when a Northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southwest.

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

What's the best time of year to surf Kapaniah (for consistent clean waves)?

marchBest Season: spring

The best time of year for surfing Kapaniah with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Spring and most often the month of March. Clean surfable waves are typically found 4% of the time in March while 50% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 46% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.

clean

Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.

blown out

50%

Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).

too small

46%

Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Kapaniah Location Map

Interactive Kapaniah surf break location map. View information about nearby surf breaks, their wave consistency and rating compared to other spots in the region. Current swell conditions from local buoys are shown along with live wind speed and direction from nearby weather stations. Click icons on the map for more detail. The closest passenger airport to Kapaniah is Upolu (Opolu) Airport (UPP) in USA, 12 km (7 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Kapaniah is Waimea Kohala (Kamuela) Airport (MUE) in Usa Hawaii Isl., 27 km (17 miles) away.

Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)
Wind Speed (km/h)

Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.

Kapaniah Surf Forecasts:

Hourly Forecast

16 Day Forecast

Todays Surf Summary
Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 08:55 Local Time

m, °C	Wednesday 04
ft, °F	5AM	8AM	11AM	2PM
Wave (m)	NE	NE	ENE	ENE
Period (s)	8	8	8	8
Wind (km/h)
Wind State	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on	cross- on

What does Kapaniah look like?

Latest photos from Kapaniah. Upload your own or view all photos on the gallery page.

Credit: seth knappe

Tides at Kapaniah

Current tide and informaton

For Honokane Bay, 6 km from Kapaniah.

Next High Water: 11:36am | 0.73m

Next Low Water: 06:18pm | 0.16m

NEXT	IS AT (local time)	remaining
high tide
low tide

Kapaniah Sea Temperature

Sunny with very warm air temperatures, feeling like 25.0 °C once we account for any wind. Sea temperatures (27.2 °C) very warm too. Staying comfortable in the water at Kapaniah won't be a problem, but wear at least a rash-vest to keep the UV off.

Today, many surfers would wear a rashvest wetsuit.

Current Temp*: 27.2°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite