TrueSwell

US surf, every coast · our own verified model · live cams

Banzai Pipeline Surf Forecast

Oahu North Shore, HI · The world's most famous wave - shallow-reef barrels on NW swell.

Loading the live forecast…

Banzai Pipeline Spot Guide

Best swell

NW
window WSW–NE (255°–45°)

Ideal size

4–20 ft
breaking-wave face height

Best wind

SE
offshore · NW is onshore

Verified against

Buoy 51201
live NOAA readings · our error

The wave

BreakReef — the famous left, with Backdoor breaking right off the same peak
BottomShallow, cave-riddled lava reef
WavesSquare, spitting barrels that jack from deep water onto a few feet of reef
AbilityNo. Pipeline at size is experts-only — one of the most dangerous waves on earth, with a lineup hierarchy to match. Small summer days are the only sane window for anyone else.
Best tideMid
CrowdThe most competitive lineup in surfing — invitational in practice, plus a gallery of photographers on the beach
HazardsThe reef has taken elite surfers' lives; caves, ledges, and packs of loose boards
AccessEhukai Beach Park on Ke Nui Road — the wave breaks a stone's throw from the sand

Local knowledge

Pipeline is surfing's proving ground. When winter N/NW groundswell hits the lava shelf at Ehukai, it throws the heaviest, most photographed barrel in the sport, close enough to the beach that you can hear it detonate. First ridden properly in the early 1960s, it remains the wave every barrel is measured against and the centerpiece of the sport's world-title deciders.

Respect is the operative word: for the reef, which is shallower and sharper than it looks, and for a pecking order built over generations of North Shore surfing. Watching from the sand during a proper swell is one of the best free shows in sports.

Nearby spots

FAQ

What swell direction works best at Banzai Pipeline?

NW swell hits Banzai Pipeline straight on. The spot picks up anything arriving from WSW (255°) through NE (45°); swell from outside that window is blocked by the coastline.

What wind is best at Banzai Pipeline?

SE wind blows offshore and grooms the surf. NW wind is straight onshore and chops it up; light wind under ~5 kn is fine from any direction.

When is the best time of year to surf Banzai Pipeline?

Winter (October-March), when North Pacific storms send the legendary N/NW groundswell. Summer is small to flat on this shore.

What's the best tide at Banzai Pipeline?

Mid. Tide predictions for the spot's NOAA station are in the forecast above.

Is Banzai Pipeline good for beginners?

No. Pipeline at size is experts-only — one of the most dangerous waves on earth, with a lineup hierarchy to match. Small summer days are the only sane window for anyone else.

How warm is the water at Banzai Pipeline?

Roughly 74°F at its late-winter coldest to about 81°F in late summer. In practice that means trunks or a rash guard in winter and trunks or a rash guard in summer. The forecast above shows the current water temperature.

How far out is this forecast reliable?

The wave model has real skill to about 10 days, and we cut the chart there instead of padding it with guesses. Days 1-3 are solid, 4-7 useful, 8-10 a trend heads-up - and we publish our measured error against NOAA buoys, updated continuously.

Forecast from TrueSwell's own physics-based wave model (exposure → refraction → breaking, every swell train separately), built on public NOAA and Open-Meteo data and scored daily against NDBC buoy observations. How the model works →