WorldUnited States of America › Hawaii › Kealia

Kealia 81.1

#989 of 5756 surf spots in the world · 🇺🇸 United States of America · Hawaii · near Lihue

Works almost every day, wind is the enemy here, no off season.

Works all yearWarm waterIntermediate
Kealia, United States of America
Photo: Bob Linsdell · CC BY 3.0 · source · photo taken 1.2 km from the spot
Surf score81.1 /100
Surfable days100% of the year
Clean days15% groundswell + friendly wind
Groundswell72% period 11 s+
Typical size1.3 m 4.2 ft median
Water26°C boardshorts

Best time to surf Kealia

The best time to surf Kealia is February, June, November. It rarely works. In November the water sits around 26°C, so pack boardshorts, and the typical wave is 1.4 m. The nearest airport is LIH (14 km) and the nearest town is Lihue (15 km).

MonthSurfableCleanSizeWaterSuit
Jan99%19%1.6 m25°Cboardies
Feb99%24%1.5 m24°Cvest
Mar100%12%1.6 m24°Cvest
Apr100%19%1.3 m24°Cvest
May99%13%1.2 m25°Cboardies
Jun100%21%1.1 m26°Cboardies
Jul100%0%1.2 m26°Cboardies
Aug100%12%1.1 m27°Cboardies
Sep100%2%1.2 m28°Cboardies
Oct100%11%1.3 m27°Cboardies
Nov100%38%1.4 m26°Cboardies
Dec99%11%1.6 m25°Cboardies

Why 81.1

Seven parts, each normalised 0 to 1 and multiplied by its weight; the sum is scaled so the best spot in the world scores 100. Wave quality and what the spot does on its best days carry more than half of it, which is what separates this from a ranking of where the water is warm.

Wave quality 34.7%
29.4
Best days 22.4%
10.4
Clean days 18.4%
6.6
Consistency 10.2%
10.2
Season spread 4.1%
4.1
Water comfort 6.1%
5.5
Access 4.1%
4.0

The detail

Faces 110° with 53% open water around it. Friendly morning wind 21% of days. Mean peak period 12.5 s. Days over 3 m: 0%. On its best tenth of days it reaches 1.9 m, with a peak period of 15 s. Mellow days (0.4 to 1.2 m): 42%. Months that work: 12 of 12. Coordinates 22.099, -159.304 (OpenStreetMap).

What it costs to be here

Living here
€2,000/ month
typically €1,760 – €2,240
Rent, one bedroom€1,050
Groceries€420
Eating out€240
Getting around€140
Phone + internet€150
Renting by the month, cooking most days, local transport.
One month here
€3,900/ month
typically €3,430 – €4,370
Somewhere to stay€2,300
Eating out€820
Car, transfers, fuel€530
Data + extras€250
Short stays, eating out, a car or transfers.
49% cheaper if you live here instead of visiting

Estimate: World Bank PPP price level for United States of America (2025, United States = 1.00) applied to a fixed surfer basket, then adjusted for how remote the spot is. Your own number moves with the season and how you live.

Our own project · Sumba, Indonesia
Own a cabin on a surf coast in Sumba

Sumba has eight spots in this ranking, the best of them inside the world top 50. A cabin is €11,500. The land it sits on is separate, from €6,500 (€9,950 oceanfront), on an 80-year lease that extends at the end. Water, septic and electricity are another €6,500, and furniture is on top, so a finished cabin lands around €28,000 plus the land, payable in instalments.

Eco Beach City is run by the same people as SurfRanking, so treat this as our own advert, not a recommendation. It is an off-plan property in Indonesia: take your own legal and financial advice before paying anything.

Spots nearby

Nyang-Nyang🇮🇩 Indonesia · score 90.7Papudo🇨🇱 Chile · score 84.9Black Rocks Jetty🇫🇷 France · score 89.0Willyabrup🇦🇺 Australia · score 87.5
Compare Kealia with 5,700 other spots
Filters by month, level and water, map, side by side comparison and a trip planner.
Open the interactive profileMore spots good in November