Swell direction
NW to NNE (340°–020°)
North Shore · Kauai
The bay every surfer drives across an island to find.
Get Hanalei Bay live dataFreeBuoy CDIP 202 · Hanalei, Kauai
Hanalei Bay on Kauai's north shore is the longest right-hand point break in Hawaii — a 200-yard wall that wraps from Hanalei Pier toward the cliffs at Princeville. CDIP 202 sits in the bay itself, so the buoy reading IS the surf check. North swells that close out Pipeline often produce magazine-cover days at Hanalei because the bay's geometry filters and amplifies.
What you want to see on the buoy before you paddle out.
Swell direction
NW to NNE (340°–020°)
Swell period
12–18 seconds
When it breaks
Bay wakes up at 4 ft @ 14 s. Macking at 10+ ft.
Wind
Light trades or southerly. Hanalei is more wind-tolerant than Oahu spots.
Hanalei Bay's bottom contour is a long, gradual slope — waves wrap and reform multiple times along the point. A 6 ft buoy reading produces a 200-yard rideable wall. Few waves in Hawaii give you that much line.
Because the buoy sits inside the bay (not offshore), the reading IS the wave height — no math required. 4 ft @ 14 s = head-high and fun. 8 ft @ 16 s = solid, big-wave board territory. 12+ ft = paddle-only, only the locals are out.
Kauai sits 100 miles further north than Oahu, so it picks up north swells before the rest of the chain. When 106 (Waimea) is showing 8 ft, 202 (Hanalei) often reads 10+ ft. The reverse is true for west swells — Kauai shadows them. Da Buoys lets you watch both buoys side by side so you can call where to drive.
Da Buoys puts the Hanalei Bay reading on your iPhone home screen. No subscription, no ads, no signup. Just the buoy.
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