Big Island Kona · Big Island · Hawaii
Makalawena Surf Report & Forecast, Big Island Kona, Hawaii
Makalawena, Big Island Kona, Hawaii: 1–2 ft faces (1 ft Hawaiian scale), knee high, at 10 am HST on Monday, Nov 9, rated Poor. The main swell is 1.6 ft at 5 seconds from the north, with a 5 mph offshore wind from the south. Water is about 81°F, so a rashguard is enough; the next low tide is 0.7 ft at 10:58 am.
1–2 ft
1 ft Hawaiian scale
- Swell
- 1.6 ft · 5 s · Nplus 0.9 ft · 11 s · SW
- Wind
- 5 mph (S)offshore
- Tide
- 0.8 ft fallinglow 0.7 ft at 10:58 am
- Water
- 81°Frashguard
- Air
- 75°Ffeels like 76°F
- Sun
- rise 6:29 amset 5:46 pm
Makalawena surf today and tomorrow
Best-rated hour today at Makalawena: 6 am, Poor, on a falling high 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 Makalawena: 8 am, Fair, on a falling mid tide.
Hour by hour as a table, today and tomorrow
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph cross-shore (E) | 2.4 ft |
| 7 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph offshore (SE) | 1.9 ft |
| 8 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph offshore (S) | 1.4 ft |
| 9 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph offshore (S) | 1.0 ft |
| 10 amnow | 1–2 ft | Poor | 4 mph cross-shore (SW) | 0.8 ft |
| 11 am | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 0.7 ft |
| 12 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 6 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 0.8 ft |
| 1 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 8 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 1.0 ft |
| 2 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 9 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 1.1 ft |
| 3 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 8 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 13 | 1.3 ft |
| 4 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 6 mph cross-shore (SW) | 1.3 ft |
| 5 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | 5 mph cross-shore (SW) | 1.2 ft |
| 6 pm | 1 ft | Poor | calm | 0.9 ft |
| Time | Surf | Rating | Wind | Tide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 2 ft | Fair | 5 mph cross-shore (E) | 2.6 ft |
| 7 am | 2 ft | Poor | 5 mph offshore (SE) | 2.2 ft |
| 8 am | 2 ft | Fair | 5 mph offshore (SE) | 1.7 ft |
| 9 am | 2 ft | Poor to Fair | calm | 1.2 ft |
| 10 am | 2 ft | Poor to Fair | calm | 0.9 ft |
| 11 am | 2 ft | Poor | 6 mph onshore (NW) | 0.7 ft |
| 12 pm | 2 ft | Poor | 6 mph onshore (NW) | 0.7 ft |
| 1 pm | 2 ft | Poor | 7 mph onshore (WNW), gusts 13 | 0.8 ft |
| 2 pm | 2 ft | Poor | 8 mph onshore (WNW), gusts 13 | 0.9 ft |
| 3 pm | 2 ft | Poor | 5 mph onshore (WNW) | 1.1 ft |
| 4 pm | 2 ft | Poor | calm | 1.2 ft |
| 5 pm | 1–2 ft | Poor | calm | 1.2 ft |
| 6 pm | 2 ft | Poor | calm | 1.0 ft |
Makalawena waves today: sets, lulls and how they break
At 10 am, sets at Makalawena arrive about every minute with about 2 waves each, and the waves are mostly barreling and hollow.
- Set waves
- about 1.8 ft faces
- Waves per set
- about 2
- Sets
- every minute or so, each lasting about 4 s
- Lulls
- about 43 s between breaking waves
- How they break
- Barrelingwhich means the lip pitches out and can throw a barrel
- Shape
- Hollowwhich means throwing, barreling waves
- Breaking
- 21% of waves stand up and break where surfers sitThe rest roll through.
- Along-shore current
- light, about 0.5 mphThis is not a rip current forecast. For rip current risk, see the National Weather Service.
Makalawena surf this weekend and the next 10 days
Next 10 days at Makalawena: the biggest day is Tuesday, Nov 17 at 2–4 ft, and the best-rated day is Tuesday, Nov 17 (Great). This weekend: Saturday, Nov 14, 1–2 ft and Fair; Sunday, Nov 15, 1 ft and Poor.
Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24
Days 11–16 for Makalawena 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 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 1.7 ft · 7 s · NNW | 5 mph offshore (S) | 9 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 11 am |
| Tue, Nov 10 | 1–2 ft | Fair | 0.8 ft · 12 s · WSW | 5 mph offshore (SE) | 8 mph onshore (WNW), gusts 13 | 8 am |
| Wed, Nov 11 | 1–3 ft | Good | 1.9 ft · 5 s · N | 4 mph offshore (S) | 11 mph cross-shore (SW) | 6 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | 1–3 ft | Good | 1.8 ft · 11 s · NNW | 8 mph cross-shore (SSW) | 9 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 8 am |
| Fri, Nov 13 | 1–2 ft | Poor | 1.7 ft · 15 s · WNW | 4 mph cross-shore (E) | 8 mph onshore (NW) | 2 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | 1–2 ft | Fair | 1.4 ft · 12 s · NNW | calm | 8 mph cross-shore (W) | 8 am |
| Sun, Nov 15 | 1 ft | Poor | 1.2 ft · 9 s · NNW | 4 mph offshore (SSE) | 8 mph cross-shore (WSW), gusts 14 | 5 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | 2 ft | Fair | 1.1 ft · 6 s · N | calm | 7 mph cross-shore (W), gusts 14 | 5 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | 2–4 ft | Great | — | 4 mph offshore (SE) | 5 mph cross-shore (W) | 11 am |
| Wed, Nov 18 | 1–2 ft | Poor | — | calm | 8 mph cross-shore (WSW) | 8 am |
| Thu, Nov 19 – Tue, Nov 24 | Days 11–16 for Makalawena are in the Current app with a Premium subscription. Get the app | |||||
Makalawena tide chart and tide times
Tides at Makalawena today, Monday, Nov 9: high 2.9 ft at 3:57 am, low 0.7 ft at 10:58 am, high 1.3 ft at 3:37 pm and low 0.3 ft at 9:11 pm. At 10 am the tide is 0.8 ft and falling.
Makalawena tide chart, November 2026
| Day | Tides |
|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 9 | High 2.9 ft at 3:57 amLow 0.7 ft at 10:58 amHigh 1.3 ft at 3:37 pmLow 0.3 ft at 9:11 pm |
| Tue, Nov 10 | High 2.8 ft at 4:30 amLow 0.6 ft at 11:38 amHigh 1.2 ft at 4:12 pmLow 0.3 ft at 9:43 pm |
| Wed, Nov 11 | High 2.7 ft at 5:04 amLow 0.6 ft at 12:20 pmHigh 1.1 ft at 4:39 pmLow 0.3 ft at 10:07 pm |
| Thu, Nov 12 | High 2.6 ft at 5:42 amLow 0.6 ft at 1:12 pmHigh 1.0 ft at 5:19 pmLow 0.3 ft at 10:39 pm |
| Fri, Nov 13 | High 2.5 ft at 6:25 amLow 0.7 ft at 2:09 pmHigh 1.0 ft at 6:03 pmLow 0.5 ft at 11:13 pm |
| Sat, Nov 14 | High 2.4 ft at 7:10 amLow 0.7 ft at 3:09 pmHigh 0.9 ft at 7:18 pmLow 0.7 ft at 11:51 pm |
| Sun, Nov 15 | High 2.4 ft at 7:59 amLow 0.7 ft at 4:08 pmHigh 1.0 ft at 9:02 pm |
| Mon, Nov 16 | Low 0.9 ft at 12:52 amHigh 2.2 ft at 8:50 amLow 0.6 ft at 4:48 pmHigh 1.2 ft at 10:50 pm |
| Tue, Nov 17 | Low 1.0 ft at 2:26 amHigh 2.1 ft at 9:43 am |
Tide predictions, not observations. Heights in feet above MLLW.
Makalawena water temperature
The water temperature at Makalawena is about 81°F on Monday, Nov 9. With the air feeling like 76°F and a 5 mph wind, a rashguard is enough. Over the next week the water stays between 79 and 81°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 Makalawena
- Mahai'ula Bay0.9 mi SW · 1 ft · Poor
- Kua Bay1.9 mi NE · 1–2 ft · Poor
- Pine Trees6.8 mi S · 2 ft · Poor
- Kiholo Bay7.3 mi ENE · 1 ft · Poor
- Honokohau Harbor/Beach8.1 mi S · 1–2 ft · Poor
- Old Kona Airport10 mi S · 2 ft · Poor
Rated right now. The Current app animates the surf itself on a live map of the whole coast. See the app →
About Makalawena
Makalawena is a beach break on the Kona of the Big Island, Hawaii, facing north-northwest.
Follow Makalawena 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.