Swell direction
N to WNW (290°–360°)
North Shore · Oahu
The wave that taught a generation of pros how to read the ocean.
Get Sunset Beach live dataFreeBuoy CDIP 106 · Waimea Bay, Oahu (shared)
Sunset Beach is the North Shore's all-rounder — a long, shifting peak that handles everything from a head-high east swell to 20-foot Hawaiian. Less crowded than Pipe, less consequential than Waimea, and arguably the best wave for actually reading the buoy because it works across so much of the swell window. The Vans Triple Crown spends a third of its career here.
What you want to see on the buoy before you paddle out.
Swell direction
N to WNW (290°–360°)
Swell period
10–18 seconds (handles all of it)
When it breaks
Rideable from 3 ft @ 12 s. Goes XL beyond 12 ft Hawaiian.
Wind
Light trades (E to ENE) are the trademark. Glassy mornings are the unicorn.
Sunset's 'point' shifts dramatically with size — small days break inside, big days break 200+ yards out. The buoy tells you the size; experience tells you which peak you're paddling for.
Sunset's swell window is the widest on the North Shore — from N (360°) all the way to WNW (290°). When 106 shows 4–6 ft @ 12–14 s, you'll find a peak somewhere. 8–10 ft @ 16 s is classic Sunset. Beyond 12 ft it becomes a different wave entirely — the West Bowl opens up and the lineup moves outside.
When the swell is too north for Pipeline, Sunset is often firing. The reef bends around enough that even a straight-N swell finds the lineup. If you're checking 106 and seeing N–NNW direction, drive past Pipe and head to Sunset.
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