Hawaii North Shore Surf Forecast
Surf forecast for Hawaii's North Shore — Pipeline, Sunset, Waimea, and the seven-mile miracle. North Pacific winter swells, world-class surf.
The North Shore of Oahu — the legendary seven-mile stretch from Haleiwa east through Sunset Beach — faces NNW open Pacific. North Pacific winter storms (Nov–Mar) generate ground swells that travel 2,000+ nm to arrive at full strength, producing the world's most famous big-wave surf.
The swell window opens roughly from N through NNW and includes some WNW. Long-period (15+ s) ground swells refract dramatically into the various breaks: Pipeline fires on a NNW direction at a specific tide, Sunset on more N swell with size, Waimea on the biggest swells of the season (15+ ft, 17+ s).
Summer (April–October) is small — the prevailing pattern of trade winds and southern hemisphere swells means the North Shore is mostly flat. The South Shore (Waikiki, Diamond Head) picks up summer south swells, while the North Shore sits out.
Water temps are warm year-round — high 70s °F in winter, low 80s in summer. No wetsuit needed; many surfers use rashguards mainly for sun and reef protection. Hazards are substantial: shallow reef, strong currents, big rip channels at the major breaks. The North Shore is unforgiving when conditions are big — don't paddle out beyond your level.