Kuau Pipes Surf Guide

Kuau Pipes in Maui is an exposed reef break that has reasonably consistent surf. Winter is the optimum time of year for surfing here. Offshore winds are from the southeast. Most of the surf here comes from groundswells and the ideal swell angle is from the north northeast. A reef breaks left. Surfable at all stages of the tide. It very rarely gets crowded here. Beware of urchins and rips.

Kuau Pipes Spot Info

Type:Rating:Reliability:Todays Sea Temp*:
Reef2fairly consistent
25.0°C*ocean temperature recorded from satellite

Surfing Kuau Pipes:

The best conditions reported for surf at Kuau Pipes occur when a North-northeast swell combines with an offshore wind direction from the Southeast.

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

septemberBest Season: summer
The best time of year for surfing Kuau Pipes with consistent clean waves (rideable swell with light / offshore winds) is during Summer  and most often the month of September. Clean surfable waves are typically found 50% of the time in September while 29% of the time it tends to be blown out. For the remaining 21% of the time it is considered too small by most surfers but may still be OK for beginners and groms at times.
clean
50%
Surfable waves that hold up well for longer rides in prevailing cross-offshore, offshore or light wind conditions.
blown out
29%
Surfable sized waves that are of poorer quality due to prevailing onshore, cross-onshore or windy conditions (may be preferable for kitesurfing).
too small
21%
Waves usually considered too small for good surf. Some wave-magnet breaks may still work though if conditions are right (on occasion).

Explore Kuau Pipes Location Map

Interactive Kuau Pipes 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 Kuau Pipes is Kahului Airport (OGG) in Usa Maui Isl., 7 km (4 miles) away (directly). The second nearest airport to Kuau Pipes is Kapalua (Lahania-kapalua) Airport (JHM), also in Usa Maui Isl., 31 km (19 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)
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Please note that some surf spot locations are approximate to protect their exact location while others are not shown at close zoom level.
Kuau Pipes Surf Forecasts:
Todays Surf Summary
Tuesday, 5 May 2026, 06:25 Local Time
Tuesday 05
5AM8AM11AM2PM
Wave (m)
1.1
NW
1.1
NW
1.1
NW
1
NW
Period (s) 12 12 12 12
Wind (km/h)
20
15
20
20
Wind State cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off
cross-
off

Swell History at Kuau Pipes

Surf stats for Kuau Pipes, see the swell variation by month or season on the history page here.

Wind History at Kuau Pipes

Wind stats for Kuau Pipes, see the variation in direction and stength by month or season on the history page here.


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