Swell direction
S in summer (170°–210°), W to NW in winter (260°–330°)
Leeward · Oahu
The bridge between the South Shore and the West Side.
Get Barbers Point live dataFreeBuoy CDIP 238 · Kalaeloa Barbers Point, Oahu
Barbers Point sits on the southwest corner of Oahu — past Pearl Harbor, before Makaha. CDIP 238 is the buoy for Ko Olina, Tracks, White Plains, and the breaks that pick up both south swells (in summer) and the wraparound from west and northwest swells (in winter). Less famous than Town or Country, but it's the one buoy that reads both swell windows.
What you want to see on the buoy before you paddle out.
Swell direction
S in summer (170°–210°), W to NW in winter (260°–330°)
Swell period
12–18 seconds (varies by season)
When it breaks
Tracks, White Plains, Ewa Beach: rideable from 2 ft.
Wind
Trades are side-shore. Morning windows are short but glassy.
Barbers Point is the rare Oahu buoy that sees both south and west/northwest swell. Read direction before size — same buoy, completely different reefs.
In summer, 238 reads south swells (170°–210°) just like the South Shore buoy 233 — but with less obstruction from the islands, sometimes a touch bigger. In winter, it picks up the W–NW wraparound that lights up Makaha-area breaks. Watch the direction first; the season will tell you what to expect.
Barbers Point and the western South Shore (Tracks, White Plains, Ewa Beach) catch overflow from both major swell directions. They're rarely epic, but they're rarely flat. For Honolulu surfers willing to drive 30 minutes, it's the spot to find waves when everywhere else is closing out or going flat.
Da Buoys puts the Barbers Point reading on your iPhone home screen. No subscription, no ads, no signup. Just the buoy.
Get Da Buoys — Free