Hawaii Surf Seasons

When is the best time to go surfing in Hawaii? Well, you will more than likely encounter some kind of a swell just about any time during the entire year. So, if you are just learning, it won't matter when you learn... most people aren't going to be hitting the huge swells when they are first learning!

But, there are seasons that the swells are bigger than in other seasons... the two main seasons are the winter season and the summer season, which are differentiated by wind and storm patterns. So essentially, winter and summer are the two seasons... but we've broken them down into 4 seasons to give you a better understanding. Now here are the Hawaii surf seasons and what you can expect...

The winter surf season...

The winter Hawaii surf season, which runs from approximately November through March, is where you can expect the largest swells of all year... in particular, large swells from the North, West and North-West are common on the North Shore. Swells will normally be around 6-12 feet, with bigger swells pushing 30 feet at times! This is when the pro-surfers come out to play and the North and West sides of the Hawaii Islands really liven up, especially The North Shore, Oahu.

This is one of the busiest times of the year as everybody is out surfing or watching the surfers. It is also the winter season elsewhere, which brings even more people in during this season.

The spring surf season...

The spring hawaii surf season, which runs from approximately March through May, is one of the best times to surf, especially on the North Shore. The reason is the visiting pros have all left town, but there are still pretty decent waves... although not quite as big as the winter, still big enough to have a lot of fun surfing them.

The summer surf season...

The summer Hawaii surf season, which runs from approximately May through September, is probably the worse time to go if you are looking to catch some big waves. But remember, even the "worse" surf season in Hawaii still provides great surfing! This is the season when the South swells are more common, and the South and East side become the center of the Hawaii surfing world. And here is one other thing to take note of... the summer days can be very busy due to the kids that have summer break from school.

The fall surf season...

The fall Hawaii surf season, which runs from approximately September through November, is very simlar to the spring surf season. The swells are starting to get bigger, but most of the visiting pros haven't arrived yet, as the winter season isn't in full-swing yet. You'll be able to catch some pretty nice waves on the North Shore.

The bottom line...

So, here is the bottom line... if you are just learning or don't have a whole lot of experience, any one of the Hawaii surf seasons will be great for you.

But, if you are experienced, or simply want huge swells anyway, the winter season is the best season to go, particularly from December to Febuary.

We've been to Hawaii during the months of December and January, and both times, the waves were big and constant...

Hang Loose!!