Big Island Kohala · Big Island · Hawaii
Kapaniah Surf Report & Forecast, Big Island Kohala, Hawaii
Kapaniah, Big Island Kohala, Hawaii: 3–4 ft faces (2 ft Hawaiian scale), chest to head high, at 10 am HST on Monday, Nov 9, rated Poor. The main swell is 2.5 ft at 12 seconds from the north, with a 21 mph cross-shore wind from the east, gusting 32 mph. Water is about 80°F, so a rashguard is enough; the next low tide is 1.0 ft at 11:13 am.
3–4 ft
2 ft Hawaiian scale · occasional 5 ft
- Swell
- 2.5 ft · 12 s · N
- Wind
- 21 mph (E), gusts 32cross-shore
- Tide
- 1.1 ft fallinglow 1.0 ft at 11:13 am
- Water
- 80°Frashguard
- Air
- 75°Ffeels like 64°F
- Sun
- rise 6:29 amset 5:45 pm
Kapaniah surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at Kapaniah: 6 pm, Poor, on a falling low tide.
Blue band: surf face height from the low end to set waves; dotted: occasional larger sets. Grey line: tide, in feet on the right scale. Colour strip: the hourly rating. Arrows: wind direction and strength, teal when offshore, orange when onshore.
Best-rated hour tomorrow at Kapaniah: 9 am, Poor, on a falling low tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 33 | 2.8 ft |
| 7 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 32 | 2.3 ft |
| 8 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 32 | 1.8 ft |
| 9 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 22 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 33 | 1.4 ft |
| 10 amnow | 3–4 ft | Poor | 23 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 34 | 1.1 ft |
| 11 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 22 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 33 | 1.0 ft |
| 12 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 31 | 1.1 ft |
| 1 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 30 | 1.2 ft |
| 2 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 30 | 1.4 ft |
| 3 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 20 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 28 | 1.6 ft |
| 4 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 26 | 1.6 ft |
| 5 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 25 | 1.5 ft |
| 6 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 26 | 1.3 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 16 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 25 | 2.9 ft |
| 7 am | 4 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 27 | 2.5 ft |
| 8 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 16 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 26 | 2.0 ft |
| 9 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 16 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 25 | 1.6 ft |
| 10 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 26 | 1.2 ft |
| 11 am | 3–4 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 1.0 ft |
| 12 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 0.9 ft |
| 1 pm | 3 ft | Poor | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 26 | 1.0 ft |
| 2 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 19 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 1.2 ft |
| 3 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 20 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 29 | 1.4 ft |
| 4 pm | 2–3 ft | Poor | 19 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 29 | 1.5 ft |
| 5 pm | 3 ft | Poor | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 1.4 ft |
| 6 pm | 3–4 ft | Poor | 16 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 1.3 ft |
Kapaniah waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 10 am, sets at Kapaniah arrive about every minute with about 2 waves each, and the waves are mostly barreling and punchy.
- Set waves
- about 4.2 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 2
- Sets
- every minute or so, each lasting about 10 s
- Lulls
- about 41 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Barrelingwhich means the lip pitches out and can throw a barrel
- Shape
- Punchywhich means steep takeoffs and a pitching lip
- Breaking
- 42% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- moderate, about 0.6 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
Kapaniah surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 10 days at Kapaniah: the biggest day is Wednesday, Nov 18 at 4–6 ft, and the best-rated day is Tuesday, Nov 10 (Poor). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 3–5 ft and Poor; Sunday, Nov 15, 3–5 ft and Poor.
Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24
Days 11–16 for Kapaniah are in the Current app with a Premium subscription.
Bars: surf face height from the low end to set waves, by day. Colour strip: the day's best rating. Arrows: main swell direction. Shaded: this weekend.
The 10-day forecast as a table, with swell and wind
| Day | Surf | Rating | Main swell | Wind am | Wind pm | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | 3–4 ft | Poor | 2.7 ft · 12 s · N | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 32 | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 30 | 6 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 2–4 ft | Poor | 3.7 ft · 13 s · N | 16 mph cross-shore (ESE), gusts 26 | 19 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 27 | 9 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 3–4 ft | Poor | 2.1 ft · 12 s · N | 22 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 38 | 23 mph onshore (E), gusts 40 | 10 am |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 3–5 ft | Poor | 3.8 ft · 16 s · N | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 33 | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 39 | 8 am |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 3–5 ft | Poor | 2.4 ft · 15 s · N | 17 mph onshore (E), gusts 40 | 16 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 38 | 8 am |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 3–5 ft | Poor | 2.8 ft · 11 s · NNE | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 40 | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 39 | 5 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 3–5 ft | Poor | 1.8 ft · 15 s · N | 21 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 39 | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 35 | 5 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 4–6 ft | Poor | 3.3 ft · 14 s · N | 16 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 34 | 17 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 33 | 5 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 4–5 ft | Poor | — | 20 mph cross-shore (E) | 19 mph cross-shore (E) | 2 pm |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 4–6 ft | Poor | — | 18 mph cross-shore (E), gusts 23 | 27 mph onshore (E) | 11 am |
| Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24 | Days 11–16 for Kapaniah are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app | |||||
Kapaniah tide chart and tide times
Tides at Kapaniah today, Monday, Nov 9: high 3.2 ft at 4:10 am, low 1.0 ft at 11:13 am, high 1.6 ft at 3:45 pm and low 0.6 ft at 9:14 pm. At 10 am the tide is 1.1 ft and falling.
Kapaniah tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | High 3.2 ft at 4:10 amLow 1.0 ft at 11:13 amHigh 1.6 ft at 3:45 pmLow 0.6 ft at 9:14 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | High 3.1 ft at 4:39 amLow 0.9 ft at 11:45 amHigh 1.5 ft at 4:20 pmLow 0.6 ft at 9:52 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | High 3.0 ft at 5:13 amLow 0.9 ft at 12:29 pmHigh 1.3 ft at 4:48 pmLow 0.6 ft at 10:07 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | High 2.9 ft at 5:50 amLow 0.9 ft at 1:15 pmHigh 1.2 ft at 5:30 pmLow 0.7 ft at 10:45 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High 2.8 ft at 6:31 amLow 1.0 ft at 2:09 pmHigh 1.2 ft at 6:10 pmLow 0.8 ft at 11:10 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | High 2.7 ft at 7:11 amLow 1.0 ft at 3:24 pmHigh 1.2 ft at 7:01 pmLow 1.0 ft at 11:57 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | High 2.6 ft at 8 amLow 1.0 ft at 4:01 pmHigh 1.3 ft at 8:59 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Low 1.1 ft at 1:01 amHigh 2.5 ft at 9 amLow 1.0 ft at 5 pmHigh 1.4 ft at 11 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | Low 1.3 ft at 2:30 amHigh 2.4 ft at 9:54 am |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
Kapaniah water temperature
The water temperature at Kapaniah is about 80°F on Monday, Nov 9. With the air feeling like 64°F and a 21 mph wind, a rashguard is enough. Over the next week the water stays between 79 and 80°F.
Water temperature is a forecast for the water at this spot, not a buoy reading. The wetsuit suggestion uses Billabong's wetsuit temperature scale, adjusted for air temperature and wind.
Surf spots near Kapaniah
- Pololu Valley2.3 mi SE · 4–5 ft · Poor
- Coast Guard8.8 mi WNW · 3 ft · Poor
- Waimanu Bay9.6 mi SE · 4 ft · Poor
- Waipio Bay13 mi SE · 5 ft · Poor
- Spencer Beach Park15 mi SSW · flat (under 1 ft) · Poor
- Hapuna17 mi SSW · 0–1 ft · Poor
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About Kapaniah
Kapaniah is a reef break on the Kohala of the Big Island, Hawaii, facing northeast. Also called Kapanaia Bay.
Follow Kapaniah in the Current app
The first 10 days are free, and Premium adds days 11–16.
Forecasts are estimates. Never rely on them for safety. For rip current risk and beach hazards, check the National Weather Service. Forecasts from Current's novel physics simulation. No AI. No black boxes. Ocean and weather data: NOAA (U.S. government data). NOAA does not endorse this site.