Hawaii - Waves on Kaanapali Beach around Thanksgiving

Hi,

Does anyone know what I can expect as far wave size on Kaanapali beach late November?

Thanks,
Ben

Hi,

Does anyone know what I can expect as far wave size on Kaanapali beach late November?

Thanks,
Ben
We've been to Ka`anapali in December. Don't really get monster waves at all on that side of the island. Nothing to body surf to; definitely nothing you can surf. Ka`anapali beach is not a surfing beach.

Yeah, unless there is a storm or something else freakish, Ka'anapali has very gentle surf. You have to go to the North Shore, around Paia, for some serious surf.

Hi Ben,

I agree with the previous posts. Kaanapali is popular because of it's more gentle year round surf. Generally good for snorkeling and body surfing. If you're looking for a sense of adventure you can go cliff jumping into the ocean at Black Rock by the Sheraton.

Otherwise for surfing you will need to go elsewhere. If you're a first time surfer I'd recommend hiring a teacher. Lessons cost about $50-100. If you surf on your own please know there are a lot of etiquette rules in Hawaii. You'll also want solid advice on which beach matches your level of skill. If youre not aware of both you could have some trouble. Your hotel concierge or gohawaii.com will have some options for you.

Aloha,

Jim Bendt - Owner - Travel Beyond

Try south of Lahaina at Mile Marker 14. I see locals surfing there a lot. However, not REAL big waves. :)

Gentle waves in Ka'anapali..

Bigger waves on the north side of the island.. but generally colder and more windy as well..

It depends. And mostly it depends on Pacific storms thousands of miles away. We had HUGE waves on Kaanapali one time in mid-November - some of the condos that had smaller beach space built steel barriers to try to prevent flooding. There was no one swimming and lots of people surfing on some good looking surfing waves.

Normally, Kaanapali is fine for swimming, but there are no guarantees.

We've been there maybe 10 times and a couple of times had 2 or 3 days where it was too rough for us to swim. The rest of the time it was (using the official US Coast Guard term) FACTTR.

Flat-... calm with teeny tiny ripples.

No joke - I am a USCG vet.

Thanks for the responses.

I was on Kaanapali in September 2009 and there were huge waves, which is what I prefer. In fact, the waves were rough enough that the Westin and even a couple local shops refused to rent me surfboards or boogie boards. Eventually found someone willing to take my money though. I'll prepare myself for small waves but will hope for larger ones...